British technology firm Reveal has introduced new AI that brings facial recognition to body worn cameras for the first time.
It marks a world-first for facial recognition technology which is ordinarily used within CCTV to help the police, and businesses such as retailers and gambling venues, quicker identify individuals, allowing them to prevent criminal activity and track down missing people.
The in-built AI technology within Reveal’s new K-series body camera can process faces within a three-metre distance and compare them to those in a pre-configured database, with any matches triggering alerts or additional camera activity such as recording and streaming. Faces that are not matched against the database are not recorded or saved by the camera.
Body worn cameras have already been proven to significantly increase the safety of frontline workers by deescalating confrontational situations and limiting the use of force, with Reveal supplying its cameras to the majority of UK police forces and a growing number of prisons, security firms and retail businesses worldwide.
Alasdair Field, CEO of Reveal, said: “Feedback from our work with the police and the transport, retail and gambling industries over many years has shown that introducing facial recognition technology to body-worn cameras could be instrumental in helping to prevent crime, and may also prove invaluable in tracking down vulnerable and missing people.
“Reveal has always been passionate about providing the very best cameras using the technology available to us at the time, and this technology has evolved enormously since its very early days when just a few Police forces used our cameras. We have always been at the forefront of delivering groundbreaking features and the addition of AI will further transform the capabilities of body cameras. With recent figures from the BRC showing that aggressive incidents are on the rise in retail, it is vital we continue to look at advancements like this that will provide more protection to key workers.”
London-based Reveal was founded in 2002 by former broadcast engineer Field and has risen to become a market leader amongst police forces, prisons and local governments worldwide. Earlier this year it announced a 30% year-on-year growth, and an 80% increase in new retail customers since the start of the pandemic.
