Chow Bot

Difficulty

Beginner

BYOB Kit

$20

Build Time

1-2 Weekends

Arena

Utility · AI Demo

Overview

Automatic pet feeders are already half-robot — they have a hopper, a dispensing mechanism, and a timer. Rip out the timer board, wire in a servo and a camera, and you've got a smart feeder that dispenses treats on demand from your phone, detects your pet with computer vision, or runs on motion-triggered schedules.

This is a great first Pi project. You'll learn GPIO servo control, basic camera streaming, and REST API design — and your pet will love you for it.

The Build

You're replacing the feeder's timer mechanism with a servo-driven dispenser controlled by a Raspberry Pi. Add a camera for live streaming and motion detection, and you've got a feeder that knows when your pet is nearby and can dispense on command.

Remove the timer board and dispensing motor from the feeder. Keep the hopper, chute, and bowl — you only need to replace the brains and the dispensing mechanism. Most feeders use a simple DC motor to rotate a paddle or drum; you're swapping that for a servo with more precise control.

Attach the MG996R servo where the original motor lived. The kit includes a dispensing arm adapter that connects the servo horn to the feeder's paddle mechanism. Calibrate the servo range — you want a clean 90-degree sweep that dispenses one portion per activation.

Test manually first: power the servo and sweep it by hand to verify it moves the paddle smoothly without jamming. Adjust the arm length if portions are too large or too small.

Mount the Pi Camera above the food bowl, angled down to capture the feeding area. Position the PIR motion sensor at pet height, aimed at the approach path. The camera streams live video; the PIR triggers recording and optional auto-dispense.

# Servo control
from gpiozero import Servo
servo = Servo(17)
servo.min()   # Close dispenser
servo.max()   # Open — dispense one portion
# ... full implementation in project files
  

The project files include a Flask web app with live camera feed, manual dispense button, feeding schedule editor, and a feeding log. Access it from any device on your network. The API endpoints let you integrate with Home Assistant, IFTTT, or custom scripts.

Run a calibration routine: dispense 10 portions and weigh the total. Adjust the servo sweep angle until each portion is consistent. Set up your feeding schedule, enable motion-triggered treats if desired, and let your pet discover its new favorite machine.