Hong Kong about to Use Artificial Intelligence for Smart Prisons
A Hong Kong based tech startup plans to use artificial intelligence to reduce the cases of suicide and violence in prisons. This has been made possible as the governments and the private enterprises step up AI for smart infrastructure.
According to the founder of that tech startup, it was the lack of data on such behaviors which motivated the company to go from deep learning to detecting the signs of negative behavior.
A video analytics system has been made by the company for the Correctional Services Department of Hong Kong. This system utilized AI-driven camera to detect suspicions behaviors among the prisoners which includes violence and self-harm.
The suspicious behaviors are monitored and analyzed using smart using camera without the slightest human involvement. For example, if an inmate is standing alone with a rope, or hiding behind a wall, the system will notify the security staff to come in an d make an intervention.
In February 2019, 40 cameras were installed in Hong Kong’s Pik UK prison, which is a relatively low-security area, as a part of the Smart Prison project. More cameras are yet to be installed in other such institutions.
The company is working towards exploration of facial recognition, so technology can recognize the faces of inmates and manage them from a distance.
Apart from video monitoring of the inmates, the company is also working towards developments of smart wristbands. These wristbands will help determine the health condition of the inmates, without conducting a full-fledged medical examination. Furthermore, they are also planning towards creation of robotic arms which detect drug infestation in human excrements.
Both public as well as private organizations are adopting artificial intelligence more than ever. The government is in full support of the creation of a smart city in terms of mobility, public service and environment.
In the year 2018, Hong Kong prisons reported two deaths by suicide, over 40 cases of self harms and more than 400 cases of violent behavior, including fights and assaults on security officers.
The tech startup is very impressed with how the government values the security and safety of the inmates.
Apart from the smart prison initiative, the startup aims at deploying artificial intelligence to ensure safety in the city’s subway system. This will help detect defective machinery such as lifts and escalators.
The tech startup is hopeful that the use of vision-based artificial intelligence will increase in the coming months. Besides fixed surveillance technology, cameras are also being installed on devices such as smartphones and drones. As a result, less computing power would be needed for real-time tracking and recognition.