YOLO4r

You Only Look Once For Research

An open-source, automated animal-behavior detection pipeline.

Overview

YOLO4r (1.1.17) is a research-oriented, Ultralytics-based pipeline designed to make custom deep-learning model training & behavioral detection accessible to field & laboratory researchers.

YOLO4r supports:

• Multi-source real-time inference (video & live camera feeds).
• Structured logging of detections, interactions, & per-frame aggregate statistics.
• Automatic metadata extraction for precise timestamping for video & camera sources.
• Full configurability & modular design for research reproducibility.

This project remains open-source & under active development as part of an undergraduate research initiative. Contributions & feedback are always welcome!

Features

Model Training

• Supports transfer learning or training from scratch of an existing model.
• Automatically exports training metrics to:
  • Weights & Biases (W&B)
  • quick-summary.txt (local lightweight summary)
• Supports aggressive data augmentation & auto-detection of new data for retraining.

Detection Pipeline

• Multi-threaded inference across multiple sources (camera feeds & videos).
• Metadata-aware timestamping for accurate frame-aligned measurements.
• Centralized message handling using Printer for all info, warnings, errors, & save confirmations.
• Robust exception handling for model initialization, frame errors, & I/O failures.

Classes & Configuration

• YOLO4r uses user-defined class configurations:
  • FOCUS_CLASSES: primary subjects (e.g., animal species)
  • CONTEXT_CLASSES: contextual or environmental elements (e.g., feeders, water trays, etc)
• Class lists are stored in & managed through classes_config.yaml within the config folder, allowing for easy modification without editing code.

Here is an example of the a classes config YAML file:

FOCUS_CLASSES:
- F
- M
- Feeder
- Main_Perch
- Nesting_Box
- Sky_Perch
- Wooden_Perch

CONTEXT_CLASSES: []

A model's class list is extracted straight from its model.pt file to prepare a class_config.yaml file, which will be located in the /configs/<model_name> path.

This allows for a class list to be divided between focus & context classes that simplifies output statistics & terminal logs.

This class setup is intended to set specific classes as objects for focus classes to interact with, giving context to those interactions primarily.

Please ensure that the [] are removed if defining context classes!

Measurement System

• Data collection centralized in single helper utility that handles:
  • Frame-level counts
  • Interval-level aggregation
  • Session summaries
  • Interaction tracking (focus vs. context classes)
• Exports structured .csv summaries:
  • counts.csv, average_counts.csv
  • interval_results.csv, session_summary.csv
  • interactions.csv Supports automatic calculation of ratios (e.g., M:F) & normalized detection rates.

Directory and Output Structure

Integrates a clean, timestamped log structure for both camera feeds & videos:

Camera sources:

/YOLO4r/logs/(model_name)/measurements/camera-feed/(source_name)/(system_timestamp)/measurements/
├── recordings/
│   └── usb0.mp4
└── scores/
    ├── source_metadata.json
    ├── frame-data/
    │   ├── interval_results.csv
    │   └── session_summary.csv
    ├── counts/
    │   ├── counts.csv
    │   └── average_counts.csv
    └── interactions/
        └── interactions.csv

Video sources:

/YOLO4r/logs/(model_name)/measurements/video-in/(source_name)/(video_timestamp)/measurements/
├── recordings/
│   └── video.mp4
└── scores/
    ├── source_metadata.json
    ├── frame-data/
    │   ├── interval_results.csv
    │   └── session_summary.csv
    ├── counts/
    │   ├── counts.csv
    │   └── average_counts.csv
    └── interactions/
        └── interactions.csv

• Folder names are automatically sanitized to avoid filesystem errors.
• Each source has its own isolated measurement subdirectory.

Terminal UI

Note that YOLO4r is a headless detection pipeline, meaning that live display windows will not appear while running inference. Instead, the terminal logs & tracks initiation, FPS, & basic statistics.

Here is an example of what to expect from the terminal:

YOLO4r Detection
----------------

[MODEL] Model

[video1] Frames:-- | FPS:-- | Time:-- | ETA:--
  class1:-
  class2:-
  OBJECTS:-

[usb0] Frames:-- | FPS:-- | Time:--
  class1:-
  class2:-
  OBJECTS:-

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[MODEL] Model

[INFO] 3 models found in runs folder:
[INFO] Loaded 6 classes: ['class1', 'class2', 'class3', 'class4', 'class5', 'class6'
[INFO] Recording initialized at 11/26/2025 23:19:28
[INFO] Source 'video1' completed.
[INFO] Source 'usb0' completed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[MODEL] Model

[SAVE] Measurements for video1:
[SAVE] Measurements saved to: "measurements/video-in/video1/mm-dd-yyyy_hh-mm-ss/scores"
      - video1.mp4
      - video1_metadata.json
      - counts.csv
      - average_counts.csv
      - interval_results.csv
      - session_summary.csv
      - interactions.csv

[SAVE] Measurements for usb0:
[SAVE] Measurements saved to: "measurements/camera-feeds/usb0/mm-dd-yyyy_hh-mm-ss/scores"
      - usb0.mp4
      - usb0_metadata.json
      - counts.csv
      - average_counts.csv
      - interval_results.csv
      - session_summary.csv
      - interactions.csv

[EXIT] All detection threads safely terminated.

Default example model trained on 7 classes:

• M (Male Passer domesticus)
• F (Female Passer domesticus)
• Feeder
• Main_Perch
• Wooden_Perch
• Sky_Perch
• Nesting_Box

The model was trained using this pipeline & has been used for primary testing purposes.

The purpose of this model in particular is use for tracking & logging basic behavioral attributes of captive Passer domesticus subjects influenced by various intestinal microbial communities over an individual's development.

To be clear, the model is still in development & included for users to demonstrate a custom model trained through the pipeline.

Installation

1. Install MiniConda or Conda:

https://www.anaconda.com/docs/getting-started/miniconda/main

https://www.anaconda.com/download

2. Create & activate environment using:

conda create -n YOLO4r python=3.10

conda activate YOLO4r

3. Install the package:

pip install yolo4r

Prerequisites

• Must use Python 3.10 or older.
• Keep in mind, training & detection require entirely separate system requirements.
• A computer with a relatively powerful CPU or has a GPU with CUDA enabled is required.

Execution

Initiate Training

- Transfer-learning by default:

yolo4r train

Option to specify weights from either OBB or standard YOLO model:

yolo4r train model=(yolo11n, yolo11l-obb, yolov8m, etc.)

This will default to using YOLO11n.pt if not specified.

Option to name the model:

yolo4r train name="my awesome run!!"

Option to specify dataset within data folder.

yolo4r train data="my awesome dataset!!

This will default to the most recent dataset within the /data folder.

- Train a model only from custom dataset:

Option to specify weights from either OBB or standard YOLO model.

yolo4r train architecture=(yolo11, yolo12, yolov8-obb, etc.)

This will default to YOLO11.yaml if not specified.

- Designed to allow users to debug training operation:

yolo4r train test

- Process Label-Studio export folders:

yolo4r train labelstudio="my awesome export!!"

NOTE: Many of these commands can be set together, so here are a few examples:

yolo4r train labelstudio=geckos model=yolo11m architecture=customgeckomodel

yolo4r train data=geckos model=yolo12 test

Initiate Detection

- Defaults to mostly recently trained model & initiates usb0:

yolo4r detect

- Initiate multiple sources in parallel:

yolo4r detect usb0 usb1 "video1.type" "video2.type"

- Run inference using an official YOLO model or custom model:

yolo4r detect model=(yolo11, yolo12, yolov8-obb, etc.)

- Designed to allow users to route to debug model:

yolo4r detect test