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November 27, 2006
Sensors for Detecting Aggression
From CNET News.com
A Dutch company, Sound Intelligence, has an audio sensor system that can detect people speaking in aggressive tones. The system can then alert officials that violence may be imminent. According to the technology overview, there are certain sounds that are "indicative of aggression and fear have specific characteristics to which any person can not help but respond." The company claims several installations with happy clients. This is a good example of how sensors can be a useful addition to smart camera systems.
Slashdot's YRO also linked to this story, but there I didn't see anything insightful in the posted comments.
Update: The Times has a better article on the technology. Some highlights:
The sensors are used at 300 sites in Holland.
The equipment can pick up aggressive tones on the basis of 12 factors, including decibel level, pitch and the speed at which words are spoken. Background noise is filtered out, enabling the camera to focus on specific conversations in public places. . . . “The cameras work on the principle that in an aggressive situation the pitch goes up and the words are spoken faster,” said van der Vorst. “The voice is not the normal flat tone, but vibrates. It is these subtle changes that our audio cameras can pick up on.”
Police and local council officials are still assessing their impact on crime, although in an initial six-week trial in Groningen last year the cameras raised 70 genuine alarms, resulting in four arrests.
“In the UK this is a new step. Clearly there is somebody or something monitoring people speaking in the street, and before we were to engage in that technology there would be a number of legal obstacles.
Posted by rshah at November 27, 2006 09:39 PM
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