BlogWhat Are Some Interesting Applications of Object Detection?

Last year, 54% of businesses reported an increase in shoplifting. As the cost of living rises, people are becoming desperate. However, for law enforcement officers and business owners, this is a major problem.

Thanks to technology, object detection helps businesses improve safety and it can also help you park cars. But, what is object detection?

If you're wondering what this type of technology is and how it works, then this article will give you everything you need. After reading this, you'll know all about tracking objects with this software.

What Is Object Detection?

Object detection has been a curious field of research for several decades and many organizations are eager to learn more about its amazing benefits.

To keep it simple, object detection is a type of computer vision technology that can locate an image and identify what it is. However, this is software is not only limited to items like cars and building materials...

It can also detect humans, animals, and vehicles in different spaces. This is also commonly referred to as person detection as it involves human experiences and behavioral patterns.

Often, security companies will use object detection in their video surveillance to monitor the volume of people, and determine busy hours in a shopping mall or at a stadium.

How Object Detection Works

Even though it might seem like a simple thing to detect an image through a camera, the process involved in object detection is not as straightforward as you think.

You need two separate applications such as recognition and image classification.

Deep learning is normally used to teach the technology what to look for and when to raise a security alert in the future. These methods can also help with accident prevention as well.

When deep learning and object detection are combined, it is referred to as deep learning computer vision which is what gives you the right data to act on security threats and find a solution.

There are three steps involved in the process of detecting a threat, transferring information, and communicating a problem. Here are the main phases:

  • Focusing on an object
  • Separating the image into a category (person, bicycle, cat, etc.)
  • Evaluating the object in terms of boundaries

The overall goal of object detection is to speed up the time when a person is detected, and the action that has to be carried out to solve a problem. This could be a car accident, burglary, or a security threat at a concert.

Discover More About Object Detection Applications

To give you more insight into how this technology works in real-life, this section will give you a list of the most interesting object detection applications.

AI-Powered Video Analytics

Many stores and businesses are starting to use video analytics to observe movements in and out of large spaces. However, it can also detect store items, which can decrease the number of shoplifting cases.

This impressive technology can enable facilities to make changes at the moment and collect information on customer data over extended periods.

The hardest part of creating safe environments for people is predicting unexpected threats. In the past, human workers couldn't monitor, process, and offer solutions in a short time frame.

Now, video analytics does can scan a space and tell you if there is a problem within minutes.

Contactless Payments

Have you heard of digital wallets? Nowadays, technology is being created to turn physical purses into digital wallets. That means, you no longer need to worry about carrying your bank cards everywhere you go.

With the use of object detection and cameras, consumers can simply pick items off the shelve and pay for them using their phones.

In some cases, fully automated checkout systems allow you to walk out the door without speaking to anyone. It's truly incredible what this technology can do!

Foot Tracking

Another interesting application of object detection is tracking footsteps. This is when the software monitors observe the traffic outside and inside a space.

For example, you can tell how many people are leaving and entering a police building. Plus, it can also collect information on foot traffic from the people passing by a store, or other building.

This kind of data can be great for determining peak times to open a shop, or establishing when are the times that suspicious behavior is most likely to take place.

Animal Detection

Object detection can help with other things besides commercial properties and security control, this software can identify animal movements as well.

For instance, if you want to record several videos of animals in their natural habitat and want the information to be accurate, object detection can give you the right data.

Therefore, for people working in animal welfare, zoology, conservation biology, or wildlife biology, this is the tool for you.

Airport Facial Recognition

Every time you visit an airport there seems to be a new technology that has been integrated into the check-in experience. Although it might seem like a hassle to have your face searched by a computer...

It can save you time, and make your trip more enjoyable.

There are two reasons that airports have decided to use object detection software during departures. The first reason is that customers can go through check-in quickly.

Another reason for facial recognition in airports is that it creates a safe and more secure environment for customers. This technology allows you to scan people's documents and research the data on border control agencies.

A human would spend double the amount of time doing the same task if it wasn't for object detection.

Autonomous Driving

The invention of object detection is what has allowed self-driving cars to function on roads. Vehicles rely on this technology to inform them when pedestrians are crossing and when other cars are nearby.

In terms of security, this is a vital element in keeping people safe and avoiding security when traveling between locations.

Video Surveillance

The majority of AI-powered video surveillance is based on object detection. Without this software, it would be difficult to get the same information about people's movements in restricted areas.

For example, one of the key causes of concern at train stations is suicide prevention. As many security professionals cannot be present at these locations all the time, tragic accidents happen that could be stopped.

If you use object detection, you can automate inspection tasks and scout the area to make sure there is no suspicious behavior.

Healthcare Medical Detection

In addition to video surveillance, healthcare organizations can also benefit from object detection. As many medical diagnostics require images to study, scans for patients and other photographs this technology is a breakthrough.

Instead of waiting for results to be processed, you can have instant access to data and images that will enable you to give your patients better care. As well as this, it can help improve medicine and treatment procedures.

Popular Object Detection Algorithms

When it comes to picking the right object detection algorithm, there are a few options that people swear by. These recommendations will give you the most accurate outcomes from this technology.

Here is a list of the best object detection algorithms:

  • YOLO
  • R-CNN
  • Mask R-CNN
  • MobileNet
  • SqueezeDet

All of these options will give you access to object detection that can benefit your business and enhance security measures.

Why Does Object Detection Matter?

Ultimately, object detection is a tool that can help us gather crucial information from the world around us and analyze scenes. This allows us to continue leading our lives safely, and without threats.

Depending on your situation and what you want to use object detection for, there are many benefits to embracing this new kind of technology.

Improves Video Security

As already mentioned, object detection can monitor movements and potentially save lives. The data that is present via these systems can increase security to ensure accidents are avoided.

Plus, it gives you real-time tracking. So, you know exactly what is going on at any point of the day.

Counts the Number of People

Unless you have someone willing to sit and count every person that is in a space, you can never know for certain the number of people in a crowd.

The crowd counting feature can be helpful if you work in law enforcement and you need to control theme parks, concerts, and other big venues.

Let Technology Protect You and Others

Now that you've made it to the end of the article, you know how object detection works, how it is implemented in everyday life, and the benefits it can bring to your organization.

Of course, there are a lot of technical terms included in this article that might still seem overwhelming to a reader that is new to the world of AI-powered software.

If that sounds familiar, you're not alone.

Our team at Two-i is ready to walk through the process of using this technology and getting it set up. All you have to do is give us a call.

You can get in contact with us here.

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