1. Project Description
2. Power and Functional Block Diagram
3. Bill of Materials
4. Code
5. Problems and Solutions
6. Acknowledgements
7. Useful Reading

Traditional fixed-position cameras lack flexibility, leaving gaps in coverage and limiting their effectiveness in dynamic environments. The Dynamic Camera Project overcomes these challenges by enabling object tracking across a 180-degree horizontal and 180-degree vertical field of view, ensuring comprehensive and adaptable surveillance.

This cost-effective system, powered by a Raspberry Pi Zero, servo motors, and OpenCV tracking algorithms, is ideal for applications like home security, robotics, and industrial automation. The project offers a modular, open-source solution for enhanced situational awareness and real-time tracking.

The complete Bill of Materials (BOM) is available here.

The finalized working code is available here.

1. Set up the Raspberry Pi Zero by flashing it with Raspbian OS ¹.
2. Configure the Raspberry Pi for remote GPIO functionality ²³.
3. Install Python, set up a virtual environment, and install OpenCV on your laptop.
4. Run the provided code.

• Create a Virtual Environment:

  python -m venv <path_to_your_environment_folder\name_of_environment>  

• Activate the Environment:

  .\<name_of_environment>\Scripts\activate  

• Deactivate the Environment:

  deactivate  

• Cause: This error occurs because pip does not allow system-wide package installations by default. You must use a virtual environment.
• Solution: Use the --break-system-packages flag cautiously to override this behavior:

  pip3 install <package_name> --break-system-packages  

  Alternatively, for safer options, refer to this Stack Overflow discussion.

Special thanks to Scott Driscoll for providing references and inspiration for this project.

1. How Servo Motors Work (Video)
2. Current Sourcing from the Power Pin of Raspberry Pi Zero