Chennai: In the epic science fiction film Minority Report, directed by Steven Spielberg nearly 20 years ago, we saw Tom Cruise running away from cops. But he is eventually found hiding in a metro train, thanks to a hi-tech surveillance camera.
The technology appeared far-fetched back then but fast forward to 2019, something similar has now come in our city.
Pixxon AI Solutions, a city-based startup, has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Facial Recognition System (FRS) cameras which can detect criminals passing in and out of Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR Central Railway Station.
It is a major boost to the station’s security. The project was initiated by the Government Railway Police (GRP). Pixxon AI Solutions founder T Muthukumar informs that his startup has been specialising in video technology for over 10 years.
Eye in the sky
The FRS cameras at Central Station are currently installed near Gate No 2, constantly scanning the crowd. The camera is linked to a secured server controlled from the station’s command centre which is managed by the Railway Police. The system has a database of 60,000 criminal offenders which were collected from the Tamilnadu State Police, GRP and the National Crime Records Bureau.
“Our high-speed FRS cameras capture those who enter and exit the station,” explains Muthukumar.
“For example, if we need to detect a face out of five lakh people, FRS can do that in just 300 milliseconds. Thus, when photos of criminals are uploaded on to the database, the image of the suspect at the station will be zeroed on, thereby alerting RPF personnel,” he adds. Railways soon plan to expand the project and instal the cameras at more stations.
Wide application
Reports say that a large number of human trafficking and child kidnapping cases occur at railway stations. FRS cameras can help solve such cases. “In a missing person complaint, the first 48 hours are very crucial,” says Muthukumar.
“It is important to search as soon as possible. However, it is difficult to manually go through a normal CCTV footage. During such time, FRS cameras can search quickly once the image of the missing person is uploaded to the system. Pixxon AI also provides crowd-counting, crowd detection, object detection, among others as part of its portfolio. In object detection solutions, FRS cameras can be employed to detect vehicles of criminals,” he adds.