Hong Kong smart prison: Wanting to commit suicide, prison inmates are also detected by AI, robotic arms can detect drugs in human feces

Wildfaces Technology is a startup looking to prevent suicidal intentions and violence in prison with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of the government and private enterprises in Hong Kong. using AI to build infrastructure for smart cities.

Using AI-assisted cameras, Wildfaces developed a video analysis system for several agencies in the city to detect suspicious behavior among a large number of prisoners, including self-hurting to behavior. violence in prison.

According to Ivy Li, founder and CEO of Wildfaces, the system can automatically compare and analyze suspicious behaviors through images from cameras without human intervention, such as group work. who gathered into a crowd or a prisoner standing by a window with a rope in his hand or banging his head on the wall himself. In such cases, the system will warn employees to intervene in time.

More than 40 cameras with AI systems were installed last February at Gul Uk prison in Sai Kung district. This is part of Hong Kong's "smart prison" project and the idea will have many similar cameras deployed in other prisons.

Li founded Wildfaces last year. Her first project was iOmniscient, an AI company and face recognition that she founded in Australia 18 years ago. Currently, Li still operates this unit. In 2018, she decided to set up a new company to focus on AI applications for Hong Kong and mainland China market, leveraging technology from iOmniscient.

Wildfaces is also studying how to use facial recognition technology in the gym and workshop to help managers monitor large groups of prisoners from afar.

In addition to the video surveillance system developed by Wildfaces, the Hong Kong Correctional Department is also testing smart bracelets to monitor prisoners' health and robotic arms detection in human feces.

The Smart Prison Project is part of the smart city construction policy of Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the head of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region last October with the aim of equipping law enforcement agencies. New technologies help increase work efficiency.

Businesses and community organizations in Hong Kong are accelerating the adoption of AI under the government's encouragement to create an international smart city in many areas such as mobile, life, and the environment. , public services and other areas.

According to data from the Correctional Department, in 2018, prisons in Hong Kong have two suicidal deaths, 48 ​​injured themselves and a total of 483 scandals between prisoners and between. prisoner with prisoner.

Compared to other countries, Li said she was impressed by the way the Hong Kong government considered security and protected prisoners against the threat of fighting.

Li shared: "I have participated in many smart prison projects around the world, but Hong Kong is the only place that cares deeply about the safety and protection of prisoners. We have never received a request. overseeing self-destructive behavior elsewhere – most other projects only focus on monitoring fights and fleeing. "

In addition to intelligent prisons, Wildfaces also implements AI technology to help maintain the subway system by detecting unusual activities of devices that operate regularly such as escalators or elevators.

Wildfaces is betting on the development of AI image analysis. In addition to fixed video surveillance, the number of cameras is increasing thanks to their presence on mobile devices such as smartphones or drones. Therefore, monitoring and identification in real time will be easier without too many machines.