February 26, 2008
Gait Analysis via Plantiga Technologies
[From :: welcome to plantiga ::]
Gait analysis and recognition is another useful application of smart camera systems. There are several problems with reliable gait analysis including the collection of data and that the choice of footwear can affect how people walk. Plantiga offers a new shoe that can provide more gait and movement information and then transmit it wirelessly. As a result, it offers a unique method of biometric identification. For more, see this page on their web site.
I have no idea how well this works, but it is a novel and interesting approach.
Posted by rshah at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)
February 18, 2008
Smoke Detection
Smoke and fire detection is another application for smart cameras. A nice introductory video by Fire Sentry is online at youtube. For more background, see these academic articles, 1 and 2. A quick search also found this a camera with embedded smoke detection capability by axonX, known as SigniFire.
Posted by rshah at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2008
Surveillance Regulation
[From Rethinking Surveillance - washingtonpost.com]
A thoughtful opinion by Frank Baitman on whether it is time to regulate surveillance. Frank Baitman is president of Petards, the Baltimore-based subsidiary of Britain-based Petards Group. He has been obviously influenced by the laws in Britain and believes they can serve as a model of us. He points to three specifics areas:
Specifically, Congress should consider establishing laws to:
Ensure that surveillance technologies satisfy their mission for crime and terror control without the potential for misuse.
Reassure the public that their images are being collected for bona fide objectives, and that there are penalties for those who misuse surveillance recordings.
Promote the adoption of open standards to ensure interoperability, which in turn would promote the introduction of emerging technologies.
Posted by rshah at 12:54 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2008
Facial Recognition Upate
I was looking up the latest on facial recognition and I found a few interesting sites and stories.
First, the Metro Nashville, TN school system is installing face-recognition technology, which is suppose to be operational by December 2007. Its a bit strange that this is installed in an elementary school, but I will be awaiting the results of the test.
Second, a facial recognition research group is online at http://www.face-rec.org/newsgroup/. There are lots of techie articles, but also an active google group (face-rec) discussing the issues.
Third, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has been evaluating and testing facial recognition technologies. The project is known as FRVT. Its too bad there haven't been other public tests for other features of smart cameras.
Posted by rshah at 01:26 PM | Comments (0)
DARPA Supporting Smart Cameras
[From DARPA Wants Supercharged Spy Cams | Danger Room from Wired.com]
DARPA is supporting various smart camera technologies in a number of ways. Here are snippets from the story:
Dynamic Multisensor Exploitation, or "DYME," aims to combine cameras, radar, and acoustic sensors to better find bad guys as they move through urban canyons, and along coastal waters.
The goal of "Building Labels for Urban Environments," or "BLUE" (you gotta love these acronyms), is to automatically label the structures seen in surveillance video.
The Combat Video Analysis Engine (no acronym, alas) would use "computer vision, machine learning and probabilistic models to detect and recognize complex threats and suspicious activities without identification of specific individuals."
Posted by rshah at 01:04 PM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2008
Limiting Facial Recognition to China
[From Keeping an Eye on China’s Security - New York Times]
The article notes the Commerce Department is drafting new rules on what security equipment companies can sell to China. They could restrict the export of facial recognition software:
The move comes in response to rapid advances in surveillance technology and the increasing involvement of American companies in the Chinese market as the Olympics approach. People involved with the process said the Commerce Department was singling out biometric technology — face-recognition software, in particular — which Chinese security agencies could use to identify political and religious dissidents.
Chinese security agencies are rapidly increasing their spending on video systems with powerful computer analysis tools. American companies, with heavy financial backing from American hedge funds, have played a central role in helping Chinese cities install thousands of street surveillance cameras and use computers to process the video.
Congress has become concerned about the export controls on such activity. “It remains extremely important to have such controls in place so that our country’s exports do not enable governments abroad to repress the fundamental freedoms that we cherish here at home,” said Representative Edward J. Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who presides over the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. “I will be watching closely as this process develops to ensure that current U.S. export controls are not weakened.”
Posted by rshah at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)