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February 11, 2005
Sentri Gunshot Cameras in Chicago
"Gangs fear camera that focuses on guns" from the Times Online
The article has some details on the gunshot detection cameras.
The cameras are known as Sentri (Smart Sensor Enabled Neural Threat Recognition and Identification). They cost $32,000 each. They can detect a gunshot within 350m and zoom in on the source. Chicago has 5 of the cameras and will add 80 more this year. Los Angeles is also testing the camera system. (In LA, TV stations are bidding to fund Sentris, because the winner will be exclusive crime stories and footage of the incidents.)
The technology was designed by Theodore Berger, director for neural engineering at the University of Southern California and co-founder of Safety Dynamics. He used neural nets to train the computers for what a 45-calibre gunfire sounds like, while ignoring other noises such as a car backfiring. He has another project working on recognizing specific words such as "explosives" in a noisy environment.
He is funded by the Office of Naval Research in Arlington. They are testing a mobile version of Sentri. The project named Gun Slinger uses a Humvee allterrain vehicle fitted with a small “listening” mast; if it detects gunfire, vehicle-mounted machineguns swivel in the direction of the sound to help soldiers to aim.
Posted by rshah at February 11, 2005 10:39 PM
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