social distancing line

How Security Companies Are Developing AI Cameras to Measure Social Distancing and Mask Compliance

A number of companies are either adding new features in response to the COVID-19 threat or developing new systems to identify if individuals are obeying guidelines.

While the demand for thermal cameras with fever detection capabilities has skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic, video surveillance companies are hard at work on systems that could help stores and other businesses measure social distancing compliance and conduct crowd control.

According to reporting from Fast Company, at least three companies are developing ways to outfit traditional camera systems with artificial intelligence that would make it possible to alert employees when people are standing too close to each other -- closer than six feet apart -- or not wearing a required mask.

People-counting cameras have been on the market for years, particularly for retail businesses seeking to track how customers navigate their stores. But these systems, including one in the works at Motorola Solutions, would go a step further and identify social distancing behaviors so that shoppers could come back to a store when it was less crowded.

“You already are hearing about things like ‘Waze for occupancy and people movement,’ as opposed to vehicle movements—not just self-reporting, but automated reporting on traffic information of people in different indoor locations and public areas,” Mahesh Saptharishi, the CTO of Motorola Solutions, told Fast Company. “I think that’s just going to be more common until people feel safe enough.”

Hypothetically, these surveillance systems would also help managers and building planners figure out which parts of their space are more susceptible to social distancing issues and place more reminders in those areas. Motorola and tech company Camio are focusing mostly on offices and factories where managers are concerned about their employees working too closely to each other, but could expand into more public spaces as well.

Camio’s product was originally created to combat “tailgating,” or when a person sneaks into a facility behind someone who used their access card to enter the building. Now, company CEO Carter Maslan said its system can draw a grid in 3D space and allow users to detect when people are standing too close together.

Another startup, VergeSense Inc., told The Wall Street Journal that its cameras were originally designed to measure how staff were collaborating and moving about an office space. Now, its customer base, which includes Quicken Loans and Shell, are using newly developed tools to measure and score social distancing among workers.

While employers say they need this technology in order to assuage employee concerns about spreading the coronavirus at work, there is some concern from privacy experts about how this technology will be used after the pandemic subsides. Albert Gidari, director of privacy at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, told the Journal that the biggest risk is “mission creep, even if the initial implementation is health and safety in the workplace.”

Most companies say they are not identifying individuals through their software and do not store images, but Gidari urged corporations to be transparent with workers about how they are being tracked and for how long.

“It’s not a stretch to see this as a productive-measurement tool,” Gidari added.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.