AI radar surveillance: Test measurements are underway in Mönchengladbach

Test measurements are being carried out with radar technology at and around the main train station in Mönchengladbach, which could in future assist police surveillance with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). A total of eight radar sensors, four in the station lobby and four on Republic Square, record movements and activities using a colour spectrum and wavy lines.

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The AI ​​is supposed to recognise safety-threatening situations from the recordings and alert the police to potential danger in the future. “During the testing phase, the system will be trained for three scenarios: escape, physical confrontation and a helpless person on the ground,” explained Thomas Patlas, research assistant at Niederrhein University. Which supports a project scientifically called “KIRaPol.5G”.,

Police Assistance Project

To do this, the AI ​​must first learn what the recorded patterns mean. So activities are planned around the railway station in which people reenact certain scenes. “Then we can see if the AI ​​reacts and the sensors record at the right angle,” Patlas explained. However, this technology is not initially connected to the police. However, the police support the project with training and video material that the AI ​​can use to learn.

In order to evaluate the recorded radar data and to be able to specify whether it is a threat or not, video data is recorded in parallel with the recording of the radar signals. In addition to the scenes created at the police training center in Linnich, the project team can also rely on the federal police’s video cameras in the station lobby, Patlas explained.

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The innovative technology aims to increase security while protecting citizens’ privacy. “The benefits of AI-supported radar technology, among other things, are that interference with the personal and data protection rights of people present at an observed scene can be greatly underestimated compared to video observation,” Patlas said.

The advantages of radar technology are

The sensors only record anonymous data from which a person’s identity cannot be determined. The technology also has another advantage. Radar is insensitive to lighting conditions and environmental influences such as fog, precipitation or smoke. The radar technology used is already in use in other places and is used, for example, for the development of autonomous driving.

According to Patlas, the current measurements are planned until around September. The data from the project, which is funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and involves a total of five partners from industry, science and security authorities, will be evaluated until the end of the year. Only then can a decision be made on how and whether the system can ensure greater safety in actual operation at train stations and public places in the future.

(Mac)