AI-powered CCTV to arrive here

By Lee Min-hyung

The nation’s leading information and communication technology (ICT) research body has started developing closed circuit television (CCTV) combined with artificial intelligence (AI) features.

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) said Thursday that the AI-powered device will bring a paradigm shift in the security equipment industry by monitoring crime scenes and car accidents more efficiently.

For its development, the ETRI will take advantage of its core technologies — including deep learning and big data analysis — mainly used to keep track of data from suspects in a crime scene.

The AI-equipped imaging device will notify policemen of crime information in real-time, helping them track any suspects and evidence in a more intelligent way.

This will allow only a few safety officers to monitor tens of CCTV channels more accurately, according to the ETRI.

With the ETRI source technologies, the state-run organization also plans to develop what it calls intelligent “deep resolution” technologies mainly used for CCTVs at nighttime.

The ETRI also said it is developing a new technology to sound an alarm bell when a car accident occurs in less than three seconds. The development of the technology will be complete later next year.

The ETRI will conduct a pilot test for all the new AI-backed CCTVs on the nation’s southern island city of Jeju from 2019. They will then be used in major parts of the nation, according to the research body.

For the project, the ETRI has teamed up with the Jeju provincial government and the National Police Agency (NPA). This is because the area is vulnerable to crimes and other traffic accidents, as rented vehicles take up a higher portion on the streets there because of both domestic and foreign tourists.

“The joint project between Jeju Island and the ETRI will likely pave the way for a new era in the global social security technology industry,” Lee Kun-woo, the project leader at the ETRI, said in a statement.

“We are going to extend our technological foothold into other areas, and keep generating new AI security-related research outcomes,” he said.

The ETRI will also continue to partner with local imaging technology companies to develop their own AI-converged technologies, helping them compete with overseas rivals with cost-effectiveness, it said.

Meanwhile, the project was conducted under partnership with the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, as part of the ministry’s bid to enhance public safety security in a more intelligent way.