backend/init_model.py

from ultralytics import YOLO
import os

def init_model():
    print("Initializing YOLO26 model...")
    try:
        # Load the latest YOLO26 nano model
        model = YOLO("yolo26n.pt")
        print("Model loaded successfully.")
        
        # Verify model classes (conceptual check)
        # Note: For this demo, we will manually override the names in the wrapper
        # if the default model doesn't have our specific chicken classes.
        return model
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error initializing model: {e}")
        # Fallback to YOLOv8 if YOLO26 is not yet available in the environment
        print("Falling back to YOLOv8n for development...")
        return YOLO("yolov8n.pt")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    init_model()