Treelapse

### Overview

We always think of trees as something that's strong and firm, but actually there's a lot of movement of trees. They grow, they move and they tilt because of the winds but we can hardly see them because for trees, time flows much slower than the way we human perceive time.

> It's all happening in the ultra-slow motion that is tree time, so that what we see is a freeze-frame of the action.

In real life, we use photographs to freeze single frames of time. In order to compress time, photographers use a technique called **timelapse**. By capturing multiple single frames with a certain interval for a very long time, then play them back in real time, we can compress hours of time into just seconds, and see the movements that we cannot perceive before.

Since the tree moves in an ultra-slow motion, then why don't we use the same concept to record the timelapse of the activity of a tree? Hence the name, * **Treelapse***.

![exploded Large.png]
***Treelapse*** is a device that can record the movement of a tree. It can be strapped to a tree and the gyroscope and accelerometer inside will detect and record the movement of the tree. The data generated will be saved into a log file on the TF card. Then the user can remove the TF card and use the log file to generate a digital art that use an algrithm strongly connected to time and the data collected.

In simple terms, with ***Treelapse***, you can create a digital timelapse that is generated by trees.



### Features

- **Compact size**
- **High accuracy:** high-quality sensors with auto reset function
- **Power efficiency:** auto-sleep function, long battery life
- **Make it yourself:** open source PCB design, 3D printed case and codes



### PCB Design

- **Processor:* * ATmega328P-AU

- **Gyroscope & Accelerometer:** BMI-160
- **Clock:** Pcf8563

- **Storage:** TF card

- **Battery:** 9V battery



Schematics:

![pcb_sch.png]
Top:

![pcb_top.png]
Bottom:

![pcb_bottom.png]
3D preview:

![pcb_3d_preview.png]
Final result:

![_DSC6095.jpg]
### Case Design

- Compact design

- Easy access to ON/OFF switch and TF card

- Transparent window to see the PCB and status LEDs

- Curved shape to be better strapped to trees

- Easy assembly
![top.png] ![front.png] ### Demo product

![_DSC6462.jpg]
![ _DSC6478.jpg]
![_DSC6481.jpg]
![_DSC6417.jpg]
### Example data

![111422.PNG]
![111722.PNG]
### References

PiCUS Tree Motion Sensor:

http://treesensor.com/Sensors.aspx

https://treespace.eu/tree-motion-sensor.html

https://www.argus-electronic.de/en/tree-inspection/products/picus-tree- motion-sensor-3

Treevia

https://www.scidev.net/global/news/sensors-take-the-manual-work-out-of-forest-monitoring/