Is there anything nice we can say about 2020? Not much except maybe, I don’t think murder hornets killed anyone. It certainly was a challenging year, and we are all happy to say goodbye.
It was a year of the pandemic and of science finding vaccines in record-breaking time. It was a year where we worked at home and discovered we could do this anywhere in the world. It caused an upheaval in the real estate market as we moved out of big cities and corporations downsized. SpaceX changed how we went to space, and engineers developed face recognition panels that checked our temperature as we entered the building.
This article reviews some of the technology for the security and surveillance market introduced in 2020.
Temperature Scanning Panels at the Door
One of the most significant engineering developments of 2020 was the development of temperature scanning panels. Panels that previously were used for face recognition were enhanced with thermal imaging cameras that could measure a person’s temperature from a distance.
During the pandemic, many organizations such as hospitals or manufacturing plants people had to be at the facility. The temperature scanning devices were placed at the door to detect anyone with elevated temperature. This allowed organizations to prevent a person with elevated temperature or not wearing a mask from entering the organization. This new access control technology adds the level of safety required to keep everyone healthy.
Intelligent IP Cameras
In the surveillance market, Hanwha and other camera manufacturers added intelligence to their IP cameras. The latest IP cameras are getting smart enough to recognize different objects, such as people, vehicles, and animals. Intelligent enough to reduce false alarms, increase awareness and response time, and even deliver information for demographics (Business Intelligence) purposes.
The addition of Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides a much more effective and efficient IP camera system. This AI provides critical alarms and reduces the time it takes to review and find the vital video. To learn more, please read our article, IP Camera Systems Are Getting Smarter.
Advanced PTZ Cameras With Wipers and high Resolution
The new Pan, Tilt, Zoom (PTZ) IP cameras have higher resolution, longer zoom lenses, and better IR illumination. They include a wiper to keep them operating even when it’s raining. They are excellent for providing surveillance over a wide area. With their very long zoom lens, they can read a license plate over 1,000 feet away. Please read our article, Detection, Recognition, Identification: The New Criteria, to learn more about how far we can see things.
Face Recognition for Detection and Access Control
Face recognition has improved over the last year. The new algorithms can recognize a person’s face even if they are wearing a mask. They can recognize a person in a crowd or provide a biometric credential for door access control.
The enhanced face recognition systems can be used for contact tracing. Face recognition software can be added to an organization’s surveillance system, and this software can detect when people come close to each other. The special reports can then list all the people who have been in contact with each other.
Face recognition has evolved from just door access control, to health monitoring, identification of people, and contact tracing.
Please read, How Face Recognition Works in a Crowd to learn more.
Automated Digital Contact Tracing
Automated Contact Tracing Uses Tags and a Cloud Database. The contact tracing devices or tags are carried by people and detect how long one person is close to another person. The contact tracing database server, located in the cloud, collects all the contact information. Each tag includes the ID of the person who owns the tag. If someone in the organization becomes sick, the database can be used to identify everyone who has had close contact with the infected person.
Technology 2020 Summary
The year 2020 was a challenging year, with the pandemic and political controversy occupying the news. There were changes in the way we work that may last beyond the end of the year. The pandemic tested us, but it resulted in the introduction of new technology.
Smart panels were introduced that provide access control of people with elevated temperatures or not wearing a mask. Automated tracing helped mitigate disease, and face recognition improved to recognize people even if they were wearing a mask.
The year 2020 was filled with the pandemic, political controversy, and social demonstrations and upheavals. Despite the worst year in recent memory, technology advanced and provided solutions that helped keep us safe.
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