Realtime Object Detection Documentation
Realtime Object Detection Documentation
Submitted to partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
In
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (DATASCIENCE)
By
Associate Professor
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project titled “REAL TIME OBJECT DETECTION” is being
submitted by Yarlagadda Shashikanth Balaji (23911A67C8) , Sippi Sumith Paul
(23911A67B7) , Sai Sanket Choudhary (23911A67B2) In partial fulfillment for the award of
the Degree of Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science & Engineering (Data Science), is a
record of Bonafide work carried out by them under my guidance and supervision. These results
embodied in this project report have not been submitted to any other University or Institute for
the award of any degree.
Dr. K.S.R.K.SARMA
Associate Professor
DECLARATION
We, Yarlagadda Shashikanth Balaji , Sippi Sumith Paul, Sai Sanket Choudhary
bearing Roll Number (23911A67C8) , (23911A67B7) , (23911A67B2) Hereby declare
that the project entitled, “REAL TIME OBJECT DETECTION” submitted for the
degree of Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering (Data
Science) is original and has been done by us and this work is not copied and
submitted anywhere for the award of any degree.
We would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our principal Dr. A. SRUJANA
for providing necessary infra structure to complete this project.
We would like to thank our parents and all the faculty members who have contributed to
our progress through the course to come to this stage.
This cutting-edge technology is being increasingly integrated into critical applications, including:
Surveillance and Security: Enhancing video monitoring systems with automated threat
detection and facial recognition.
Traffic and Smart City Management: Detecting vehicles and pedestrians for real-time traffic
flow optimization and incident detection.
Retail and Inventory Management: Automating product tracking, shelf scanning, and stock
level monitoring.
Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR): Creating immersive experiences through dynamic
object interaction and gesture recognition.
The implementation of these models has been greatly simplified by Python’s extensive ecosystem of
libraries and tools, such as OpenCV, PyTorch, TensorFlow, and pre-trained models like YOLOv5.
With these resources, developers and researchers can easily build and deploy custom object detection
applications, even with limited resources.
This article/report provides a comprehensive, hands-on guide to developing real-time object detection
systems using Python. It covers everything from dataset preparation and model selection to live video
processing and result visualization. Step-by-step tutorials and code snippets are included to empower
readers to create their own functional prototypes or deploy solutions in real-world settings.
In summary, this work not only explores the core algorithms and methodologies behind real-time
object detection but also emphasizes its practical impact across industries.
INDEX
S.NO PAGENO.
NAMEOFTHETOPIC
1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 LITERATURESURVEY 2
CONCLUSION
7 26
REFERENCES
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8
LIST OF FIGURES
This progress has been fueled by several key enablers: the availability of high-performance
computing resources (such as GPUs and TPUs), the development of advanced deep learning
architectures like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), and the compilation of large,
annotated datasets (such as COCO and ImageNet). These components together have allowed
models to detect objects with high precision and process them at speeds that meet real-time
application requirements.
Real-time object detection has found widespread application across various sectors. In surveillance,
it aids in identifying suspicious activities and intrusions. In healthcare, it assists in medical
imaging and surgical automation. Transportation systems—especially autonomous vehicles—rely
heavily on object detection for road safety, recognizing obstacles, traffic signs, and pedestrians. In
retail, it enables smart inventory management, customer behavior analysis, and theft prevention. As
this technology continues to mature, it is expected to become an integral component in numerous
intelligent systems.
Problem Statement
Despite its vast potential and progress, real-time object detection continues to face several
unresolved challenges, particularly in dynamic, real-world environments. These challenges must
be addressed to ensure the effective deployment of detection systems across various platforms and
scenarios.
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Real-time Processing Constraints
Achieving true real-time performance is another critical requirement. Applications such as
autonomous driving, robotics, and live surveillance necessitate ultra-fast processing speeds. Even
slight delays in object detection could lead to severe consequences. Therefore, optimizing models to
reduce inference time while maintaining accuracy is a core challenge.
Hardware Limitations
Advanced object detection algorithms are often computationally intensive, requiring powerful
hardware for deployment. However, in many real-world applications, especially those involving
mobile devices, embedded systems, or IoT devices, there are limitations in processing power,
memory, and energy consumption. Designing lightweight and efficient models that can run on
such hardware platforms is a significant challenge that needs to be addressed.
Existing Systems
Several state-of-the-art object detection frameworks have been developed, each with its strengths
and trade-offs:
YOLO (You Only Look Once): Renowned for its high speed and real-time performance,
YOLO processes an image in a single pass and is widely used in time-sensitive applications.
Variants such as YOLOv5 and YOLOv8 have improved upon the original in terms of
accuracy and flexibility.
SSD (Single Shot Multibox Detector): SSD offers a balanced approach, combining
decent accuracy with good speed. It performs well in tasks that require a compromise
between inference time and precision.
Faster R-CNN: Known for high accuracy and robustness, Faster R-CNN uses a region
proposal network followed by a classification stage. However, it is computationally heavier
and better suited for offline or server-based applications rather than real-time edge
deployment.
Each of these systems serves different application needs depending on factors such as hardware
availability, required accuracy, and speed constraints.
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Advantages
Enhanced Automation: Real-time object detection facilitates automated monitoring,
inspection, and decision-making across industries.
Improved Safety: In scenarios like traffic monitoring and autonomous driving, object
detection contributes directly to safety and accident prevention.
Scalability: Once deployed, object detection systems can operate 24/7, making them
suitable for scalable monitoring applications.
Drawbacks
Hardware Dependency: High-performance detection models often require expensive and
power-hungry hardware, limiting their use in cost-sensitive or mobile environments.
Data Dependency: Accurate models rely on large amounts of annotated training data,
which may not always be available for all object classes or scenarios.
Functional Requirements
The core functionality involves detecting and classifying multiple objects within a live video
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stream. This requires real-time inference, bounding box generation, object labeling, and the ability
to distinguish between various object classes accurately.
Non-Functional Requirements
To ensure practical usability and system robustness, the project will aim for the following:
Software Requirement
The following tools and technologies will be utilized:
Hardware Requirement
The system should run on:
GPU support for faster model inference (preferably NVIDIA-based GPUs with CUDA
support)
Chapter 1: Introduction – Provides an overview of the problem, the motivation behind the
project, existing solutions, and project objectives.
Chapter 2: Literature Survey – Reviews related work and previous studies on object
detection frameworks and their performance.
Chapter 3: Proposed System and Methodology – Describes the system architecture, the
approach taken, and the algorithms used.
4
Chapter 4: Implementation Details – Covers the technical implementation, including
tools, model training, and system integration.
5
2: Literature Survey
6
Title: Faster R-CNN: Towards Real-Time Object Detection with Region
Proposal Network
3. Authors:ShaoqingRenetal.
Publishedin:NIPS,2015
Summary:
Faster R-CNN integrated a Region Proposal Network (RPN) with a Fast R-CNN detector
to form a unified, deep-learning-based object detection pipeline. This advancement
eliminated the need for slow, hand-crafted region proposal methods, significantly
improving both speed and accuracy. Although not as fast as YOLO or SSD, Faster R-CNN
became the benchmark for high-precision applications.
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Title: DETR: End-to-End Object Detection with Transformers
6. Authors: Nicolas Carion et al.
Publishedin:ECCV,2020
Summary:
DETR (DEtection TRansformer) introduced a revolutionary approach by leveraging the
transformer architecture—originally developed for natural language processing—to object
detection. It treated object detection as a direct set prediction problem, removing the need
for anchor boxes or non-maximum suppression. Although computationally intensive,
DETR offered a cleaner and more elegant solution to detection, with better generalization
on unseen data.
Detection of Small and Overlapping Objects: Many models still struggle with accurately
detecting objects that are very small, partially occluded, or positioned closely together. This
can severely affect detection performance in crowded scenes or surveillance footage.
Real-time Performance Under Constraints: While models like YOLOv5 achieve real-
time speed, maintaining consistent accuracy and frame rate under resource constraints (low
RAM, CPU-only environments) is still a challenge.
Generalization Across Diverse Datasets: Many models are trained and optimized on
standard datasets (e.g., COCO, Pascal VOC). Their performance may degrade significantly
when applied to different or domain-specific datasets, leading to poor generalization.
Ensuring compatibility with moderate hardware setups without compromising too much
on detection accuracy.
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Fig 2 : Detecting the Objects present
Activity Diagram
This diagram represents the workflow of the real-time object detection system. It includes the
following stages:
1. Start system
2. Select input source
3. Load the object detection model
4. Capture and preprocess frames
5. Run inference on frames
6. Apply post-processing
7. Display results
8. Optionally save annotated frames or videos
9. Stop system
This activity flow ensures a clear understanding of the system's dynamic behavior and data flow.
Class Diagram
The class diagram highlights the object-oriented structure of the system. It includes classes such as:
VideoStream: Manages video input.
FrameProcessor: Handles preprocessing tasks.
ObjectDetector: Loads and runs YOLO/SSD models.
PostProcessor: Applies filtering and formatting.
DisplayManager: Manages visualization and storage.
UserInterface: Handles user inputs and system control.
Each class is responsible for encapsulating specific functionality, promoting reusability.
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Fig 3 : YOLO
2. Preprocessing Module
Prepares the input frames for the detection model. Key operations include:
Resizing frames to the required input shape,
Normalizing pixel values,
Converting data formats (e.g., BGR to RGB),
Batching frames if necessary.
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Applying Non-Maximum Suppression,
Drawing bounding boxes and labels on frames,
Filtering low-confidence detections.
5. GUI/Display Module
Manages the visualization and interaction aspect. It:
Displays real-time annotated video frames,
Provides buttons or controls (start, stop, pause),
Saves frames/videos if recording is enabled.
This chapter establishes a solid foundation for the system's implementation, ensuring that each
component contributes effectively toward the goal of real-time, accurate, and efficient object
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4: Implementation of the Modules
This chapter focuses on the practical aspects of implementing the proposed real-time object
detection system. It covers the datasets used, the preparation and training processes, the tools and
technologies adopted, sample implementation code, and the test cases used to evaluate system
performance.
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4.1.3 Model Training
Model training is performed using YOLOv5 implemented in PyTorch. Key steps include:
Model Selection: Variants of YOLOv5 such as yolov5s, yolov5m, or yolov5l are chosen
depending on the trade-off between speed and accuracy.
Hyperparameter Tuning:
o Learning Rate: Typically set between 0.001 and 0.01.
o Batch Size: Ranges from 16 to 64 based on GPU memory.
o Epochs: Models are trained for 100–300 epochs depending on convergence.
Training Command Example:
python train.py --img 640 --batch 32 --epochs 100 --data dataset.yaml --weights yolov5s.pt
Evaluation: After training, the model is validated using the test set, and performance metrics
such as mAP (mean Average Precision), precision, and recall are recorded.
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detection on a static image:
import torch
while cap.isOpened():
ret, frame = cap.read()
if not ret:
break
results = model(frame)
annotated_frame = results.render()[0]
cap.release()
cv2.destroyAllWindows()
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This script captures video from the webcam, performs detection using YOLOv5, and displays the
annotated frames in real-time.
To ensure the robustness and accuracy of the system, several test cases were defined and executed
under varying environmental conditions:
Test
Description Expected Result
Case
Detection in bright daylight
TC1 All visible objects detected accurately
(indoor/outdoor)
TC2 Detection in low-light conditions Detection may degrade; partial success
TC3 Detection of multiple objects in a frame All objects labeled and bounded
TC4 Fast-moving object detection Bounding boxes adapt quickly to movement
TC5 Small object detection at a distance Lower confidence; possible missed objects
Detection on cluttered or complex System maintains performance with minimal
TC6
backgrounds error
Running on low-end hardware (e.g., no
TC7 Reduced FPS; basic functionality maintained
GPU)
These tests help assess the practical performance and limitations of the system in real-world
scenarios.
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Fig 4 : Precision
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values. It is widely used for evaluating regression models and is particularly useful when assessing
the accuracy of predicted bounding box coordinates in object detection tasks.
Mathematical
Formula:
MSE=1n∑i=1n(yi−y^i)2MSE = \frac{1}{n} \sum_{i=1}^{n} (y_i - \hat{y}_i)^2
Where:
yiy_i is the actual value
y^i\hat{y}_i is the predicted value
nn is the number of data points
Use in Object Detection:
In real-time object detection, MSE is commonly used to evaluate the precision of bounding box
predictions, including the coordinates (x, y) and dimensions (width, height).
Advantages:
Penalizes larger errors more than smaller ones
Suitable for optimizing regression-based loss functions in object detectors
Limitations:
Sensitive to outliers
Difficult to interpret directly in terms of accuracy
Example:
If a model predicts the center of a bounding box to be at (50, 60) while the actual position is (52,
63), the MSE would quantify the squared distance between the prediction and the ground truth.
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6: Results and Discussions
This chapter highlights the experimental findings, performance evaluation, and comparison of
different object detection models implemented in the project. It provides an in-depth analysis of
detection accuracy, inference speed, and the trade-offs observed between precision and
performance. The discussion is supported by both quantitative metrics and qualitative observations
to assess the system's effectiveness for real-time applications.
Dataset Used
COCO Dataset (Subset): A widely adopted benchmark dataset containing over 80 object
categories across diverse scenes. A representative subset was selected for training and
evaluation, ensuring coverage of common objects like people, vehicles, electronics, and
animals.
Dataset was preprocessed using LabelImg for annotation, and divided into training (70%),
validation (20%), and test (10%) sets.
Performance Metrics
To measure and validate the performance of the models, the following standard metrics were used:
Accuracy: Measures the proportion of correct predictions out of all predictions.
Precision: Reflects how many of the detected objects were actually correct (True Positives
vs False Positives).
Recall: Indicates how many of the actual objects in the frame were successfully detected
(True Positives vs False Negatives).
FPS (Frames Per Second): Indicates the real-time capability of the model. It measures how
many frames can be processed in one second.
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Fig 5 : Objects Detected in the given frame
The following table presents a comparative evaluation of three leading object detection models:
YOLOv5, SSD, and Faster R-CNN. All models were tested on the same dataset and under similar
hardware configurations (NVIDIA GPU).
Analysis:
YOLOv5 proved to be the best candidate for real-time applications due to its high FPS and
reasonable mAP. It handled multiple object classes efficiently with real-time responsiveness.
SSD showed decent performance and maintained a good balance but struggled with fine-
grained object localization.
Faster R-CNN, while achieving the highest accuracy (mAP), could not meet the real-time
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performance criteria due to its slow processing speed, making it more suitable for offline or
batch processing scenarios.
In daylight or well-lit environments, YOLOv5 and SSD both performed well, with YOLOv5
showing faster detection response.
In low-light scenarios, Faster R-CNN had better accuracy but was too slow, whereas
YOLOv5 still maintained decent performance with faster inference.
For videos with overlapping or small objects (e.g., crowded scenes), YOLOv5 occasionally
missed detections, while Faster R-CNN maintained better object separation.
System Responsiveness
On a standard laptop with 8GB RAM and a mid-tier NVIDIA GPU, YOLOv5s consistently
ran at ~45 FPS.
SSD achieved ~40 FPS, making it a strong second contender.
Faster R-CNN struggled at ~7 FPS, confirming its unsuitability for real-time deployment.
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7: Conclusion
This project comprehensively investigated and implemented various machine learning and deep
learning models for energy consumption forecasting, focusing on their ability to predict future energy
demand with high accuracy and efficiency. The study compared traditional models such as Linear
Regression, Random Forest, and Support Vector Regression (SVR) with advanced deep learning
models, including LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory), CNN (Convolutional Neural Networks), GRU
(Gated Recurrent Unit), and their hybrid and ensemble combinations.
Key Findings
1. Superiority of Hybrid Deep Learning Architectures
The experimental results strongly indicate that hybrid deep learning models significantly outperform
traditional machine learning techniques:
LSTM + CNN and CNN + GRU models achieved consistently low Mean Squared Error
(MSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE), reflecting their ability to learn both temporal
sequences and spatial patterns in energy consumption data.
These hybrid models also demonstrated high R² values, indicating a strong correlation
between predicted and actual values.
R² score: 0.9553 (indicating that 95.53% of the variance in energy consumption is explained
by the model)
Lowest MSE and MAE, confirming it as the most effective model for the task.
The ensemble model leveraged the strengths of individual networks while minimizing their
weaknesses, resulting in better generalization and stability.
Linear Regression yielded the highest error rates due to its simplistic assumption of linearity.
Random Forest, despite its ensemble nature, lacked the temporal learning capacity and
underperformed in comparison to deep learning counterparts.
SVR (Support Vector Regression) performed relatively better than other conventional models
but still fell short in terms of precision and adaptability when compared to deep neural
networks.
4. Practical Implications
This study demonstrates that hybrid deep learning architectures and ensemble techniques are optimal
solutions for accurate energy consumption forecasting. Their adoption in power grid systems can lead
to:
Support for real-time applications like smart meters and intelligent energy scheduling
Data Quality and Availability: The accuracy of forecasts is highly dependent on the volume
and granularity of historical data.
Model Interpretability: Unlike linear models, deep neural networks are often considered
“black-box” systems, making them harder to interpret.
6. Final Remarks
The results of this project highlight the transformational potential of deep learning and hybrid
architectures in solving real-world forecasting problems. With continuous improvements in hardware
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and model efficiency, these approaches are likely to become the standard for energy prediction
systems in smart grids and future power infrastructures.
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