I have trained wild magpies in my Garden to trade litter for food!

The whole project relies on mechanical design, electronics, software and the great opportunity to creat a machine with parts from my 3D-printer.

My plan is to share my designs and experiences on this thingiverse page.

https://youtu.be/PDhVM3OGVDg

I have worked with this project to and from for several years, but now in recent months the project has had an exciting development, and as I write in the title ... Now the magpies work as garbage collectors for payment in the form of food.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJG3282QU4g&ab_channel=HansForsberg

https://youtu.be/420tsXPzyu4

I work everyday with industrial applications of artificial intelligence (AI)...
so the whole rig for the magpie project must be:

• Autonomous
• Reliable
• Flexible
• Completely remote controlled
• Document and log data and video.

I spent remarkably much time creating the actual food dispenser.

After testing with several Thingiverse designs of pet feeders, often based on a rotating feeder screw, I left these techniques. The dispenser must never get stuck and I want to be able to feed out individual peanuts. I looked at industrial solutions and got hooked on vibrating feeders. The base of the feeder is a fantastic vibration feeder from thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2118961

many thanks to Viking Machinery
http://www.vikingmachinery.co.nz/

Choose ABS or PETG for the four 'dog-bone' parts, PLA does not last long.

To this design I have added a number of extensions and funnels, I upload these as STL files. But, these are quick and dirty designs, you have to attach the parts on your own with small sheet-metal sheets, or in another way. Sorry for this, but when I build I am often experimenting and usually don't know exactly what the solution will look like ...

One of these funnel parts has a 5mm socket for IR-LED and photodiode. with this arrangement I can run the dispenser with increasing intensity until I detect a peanut, Then stop the vibrating motor.n