The innovation stood out among more than 40 applications for the FabLab UAE Innovation Competition
Soon, artificial intelligence (AI) technology will be able to detect violators of social distancing and alert security teams on the spot via WhatsApp – all thanks to an innovation from two Dubai students.
The duo from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai won a prize of 20,000 dirhams after their recent victory in the FabLab UAE competition for innovators.
The solution, aimed at combating violations of social distancing by Covid-19, is designed for both education and jobs.
Explaining the idea behind the tool, Noman Sheikh, a second-year undergraduate computer security student, said: “We know that social distancing is an important aspect of preventing the spread of Covid-19.”
“So our idea was to create a tactical private 4G-LTE network using software-defined radio, integrated with AI-based computer vision, to detect violations and send an immediate signal to the on-site security team through automation, so to be able to interfere in the application of the rules. We continue to apply this over 5G. “
The innovation stood out among more than 40 applications for the FabLab UAE Innovation Competition. The team was one of six that reached the final stage of the competition and presented their project to expert juries.
Shedding light on the technology used to create the innovation, Ijan Haider, also a second-year undergraduate student in computer security, said: “The system combines computer vision technology with an artificial intelligence modeling algorithm to assess whether there is disorders of social distancing. “
“If social distance is not maintained, an automatic message is sent to the security team via WhatsApp. The tactical 4G-LTE network allows us to provide network capabilities anywhere and anytime with secure network communications and over the air interface.”
Dr Ali Raza, team leader and professor of computational science at RIT Dubai, said one of the most important elements of the technology is that it detects and transmits violations immediately, allowing security to take quick action.
“This feature can have a number of applications outside of this technology, in a variety of industrial and professional settings. This solution allows digital conversion of monitoring and prevention of proliferation through close contact. “
“I look forward to migrating our solution to a 5G network, where we can see the benefits of higher speeds to maintain higher-resolution images with ultra-low latency,” he said.
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He added that the two students have implemented an entire 4G-LTE radio and core network in a short period of time, climbing a steep learning curve.
“I was very impressed by their commitment to the project. Encouraging talent and offering guidance on this type of project is an important part of our role as teachers and we are very proud of what they have achieved.
nandini@khaleejtimes.com
Nandini Sirkar