Crowded Cities: a collaboration between man and nature
During my time in Amsterdam, I encountered two major frustrations: a vast number of pigeons and an overwhelming abundance of cigarette filters littering the streets. This triggered the question: could we address one problem to solve the other? Could we train pigeons to clean up cigarette filters?
Unfortunately, the short answer was: "no," but a surprising alternative emerged: crows.
Introducing the Crowbar by Crowded Cities, a unique device designed to train crows to collect and dispose of cigarette filters in exchange for food. Developed through a four-step method crafted by Joshua Klein, the Crowbar utilises a combination of object detection and machine learning to distinguish cigarette filters from other items and reward crows accordingly.
SPOILER: After more than 2 years of trying to realise this idea, we didn't manage. However, we reached more than 10 million people with the concept, creating awareness and making a significant impact. In parallel, it triggered other creative minds to attempt the same.
Follow-up
Throughout numerous iterations and gaining significant media attention, we reached a point where further progress seemed challenging. In a decision to foster innovation and community collaboration, we have chosen to fully open source our project, making all our work accessible to the passionate individuals at BirdsForChange. They have been tirelessly working to transform this innovative idea into a reality. Additionally it worked as an insprational source for other initiavtives. Like the one in Sweden (rsee video)
