Industry Professional
What IC720 Means to Advancing Surveillance
Will spherical 360-degree video surveillance
have an impact on the future of the security
industry? IC Real Tech (parent company
of IC Realtime brand) is betting that it is. IC Real
Tech CEO Matt Sailor sat down for a few questions to
shed some light on the company’s revolutionary technology
and how it will benefit many vertical markets.
Q. Can you overview the technology and how it
came about?
A. IC Real Tech’s IC720 (360x360-degree technology)
represents the company’s drive to reach new
heights in video surveillance, essentially the ability to
see every angle without any blind spots instantaneously.
We drew from our recent experience in single-lens
360-degree cameras to pioneer a remote-viewing platform
that delivers a fully-spherical range. The technology
is a single standalone camera that uses a front
and rear sensor, and our own software App and VMS
platform which leverages the gyroscopic movement
technology in the mobile display devices allowing
capture of 360 x 360-degree video. Essentially we’ve
created an immersive experience that puts the viewer
completely in the center of the action. While it really
is Virtual Reality for the security industry, that is
only the beginning of what we have designed into the
IC720. We see obvious advantages to capturing entire
environments instantly and then using that real-time
data to trigger events and other devices.
Q. What vertical markets do you see this technology
being used and how will it make a difference?
A. First, it is important to understand that in addition
to mobile devices our platform is compatible
with virtual reality headsets where monitoring takes
place in the form of head movement, or in case of the
display devices by either pointing in the air or simple
finger-based gesture control. We have spent years developing
the foundation of this technology to make
it smarter than the average VMS and we spent time
on what really makes sense from real world experience.
We see the IC720 working in concert with other
cameras as a master conductor. Imagine a conductor
directing a symphony; the IC720 has this functionality
built into it.
Since the camera is delivering real-time situational
awareness for the person monitoring it we
thought that the next logical step would be adding
the ability for the IC720 to control and trigger other
cameras. Think of it from an analytics level, it becomes
the brain for the other cameras and directs
them accordingly.
The sum result of this type of combination of the
IC720 and an array of PTZ cameras is total coverage
of an area with automated management. For instance,
when our software detects a trip wire alarm, it
can slew a PTZ camera over to the location instantly.
The obvious problem with PTZ cameras is that if they
are not looking in the right place they don’t capture
the action. The IC720 comes to the rescue by recording
everything—the entire environment, and can then
direct and control other long range or specialty cameras
to create a more effective surveillance system.
I see the IC720 being used anywhere, but specifically
think of the obvious benefits for stadiums, manufacturing,
robotics, and large ceiling cranes. These
environments will greatly benefit from this solution,
where you have activities taking place at ground and
ceiling levels, the 360x360-degree camera will keep
a constant eye on everything happening, like crane
positions, unforeseen dangers, and avoiding possible
tragedies. The IC720 acts as the mastermind of the
surveillance platform, its instant awareness, and with
our analytics and camera control the brain the surveillance
system.
Another example of how the IC720 is a complete
revolution in the surveillance industry applies to prisons,
where we can use the technology to spot and
respond to incoming drones, large prison yards and
especially having the ability to capture areas that are
usually out of standard cameras purview. I could go
on about how this camera will change the way cameras
will work for night clubs, entertainment, oil platforms,
and more, but having a 360-view of an complete
area from the floor to the ceiling changes the
entire dynamic of surveillance. It’s no longer about
a 70 or 80 degree limited view, instead we can give
our customers an entire environment and then build
entire camera systems around the IC720 and its management
capabilities.
Q. What type of applications have you tested the
technology in?
A. To ensure that the platform could meet the rigorous
demands that will be placed on it, we originally
tested and spec’d the technology for automobile racing.
The first applications were testing in championship
Ferrari and Formula-E race cars where we mount
the cameras on top of the car. At speeds higher than
100 miles per hours, we succeeded in streaming HD
video to the pit crew and guests were they were able to
spherically view live or recorded video via the IC720
App on their mobile devices. They could see from the
tires on the pavement all the way up to the sky and everything
within view including the open cockpit and
motor compartment, the tires, exhausts firing, competing
cars, road conditions, you name it. We knew
that racing would present us with a really challenging
environment and we dove right in. The result was
a camera that delivers an entirely new level of visual
intelligence, a type of surveillance that more closely
resembles the way humans experience real physical
space. I think what’s even cooler about this technology
is watching people’s reactions when they first see
it, they are always grinning from ear to ear.
This article originally appeared in the May 2016 issue of Security Today.