Company: Outsight
Category: Smart Cities

According to the Outsight team, to be truly smart, cities and facilities must be aware of what is happening on their premises. They identified two barriers that have prevented full situational awareness at the right scale.

At the perception level, current sensors such as cameras and radars are only able to collect partial data and more localized views, even when visuals are combined. In terms of understanding the data, current machine learning is not suitable for processing sensor data that requires more in-depth reasoning and training datasets for technology.

Outsight’s 3D Semantic Camera is a single shadow-less virtual sensor that solves for both these problems. It provides 3D, real-time data that includes object detection, tracking, classification and remote material identification in surroundings. One use case is for self-driving vehicles.

Built with shortwave lasers that can scan hundreds of meters ahead, the 3D Semantic Camera cannot only detect the full environment in real-time, but it can differentiate materials like ice, cloth and skin.

“We believe in building safer mobility by making vehicles much smarter,” said Cedric Hutchings, CEO and co-founder of Outsight.

The Tech Behind It

The imaging technology in Outsight’s 3D Semantic Camera involves collecting and processing various light intensity data from across the spectrum. Because light absorption for different materials happens at specific wavelengths, the sensors are able to infer the specific material of each item in the facility’s environment, even at farther ranges.

For vehicles, the camera, similar to a lighting fixture, is mounted on the front hood of the car and provides 3D High Definition visuals to the dashboard, allowing users or the vehicle themselves to alter their actions.

For larger facilities, such as shopping malls or airports, the Semantic Camera can provide data on the size, trajectory and velocity of people, as well as measurements and feedback on queue length, waiting times and other customer experience-related information.

Visit Outsight at the CES 2020 Innovation Awards Showcase.