Design and Implementation of aVolume Estimator using TOF Sensors for Wildlife Dwellings

A device for estimating the volume of small enclosures such as animal burrows is described. Fourteen Time-of-Flight (TOF) sensors are arranged uniformly around the device which can be lowered into remote areas to measure the space’s interior dimensions and communicate these data wirelessly to a nearby user. This paper describes a method for obtaining a point cloud representation from the TOF data, the use of Delaunay Triangulation to convert the point cloud into a triangular mesh, and a volume estimation by the summation of the resultant tetrahedra. The design and implementation of the mechanical and electrical hardware are described with consideration of the enclosure fabrication and the placement and use of the TOF sensors. The performance of the device, potential use cases, and suggestions for future improvements are also given.