Intel AI tech helps innovative students make workplaces safer
Their AI-powered safety drone navigates indoors without GPS using an Intel® RealSense™ camera, real-time LIDAR spatial detection, and an AI vision kit powered by Intel technology
Intel AI tech creates exciting new possibilities for computer vision
The Intel® RealSense™ camera and Intel® Vision Products for Computer Vision Solutions are part of Intel’s computer vision product portfolio. It offers general-purpose computers and accelerators, so developers can deploy vision at the edge and virtually anywhere.
Dina-Marie Stager and Serr Brown were studying artificial intelligence at Houston Community College through Intel’s AI for Workforce program when the tragic mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas happened in 2022. They had already started discussing what became their AI-powered safety drone project, and the tragedy only strengthened their resolve to make a difference through their creativity and passion for technology and responsible AI. Serr was interested in drones and shared his idea to use them and AI to boost security in schools. With point cloud mapping and AI, it could detect threats and alert authorities.
They teamed up with fellow HCC student and Geospatial Technician, Ryan Galbraith, who had previously created a digital twin (3D digital map) of the Houston Community College campus and also had extensive experience piloting drones. He helped kick off the project by flying a drone on campus to make a point cloud map—created by AI software that tracks points that form the shapes of objects in a given space. Their completed safety drone uses an Intel® RealSense™ camera, real-time LIDAR spatial detection, and an AI vision kit powered by Intel technology. The AI-powered drone navigates indoors without GPS and detects people, objects, and possible danger while respecting privacy by using heat-sensing technology versus facial recognition. AI also allows it to alert security and local authorities of possible threats it might detect.
The team received a Global Award for Impact Creators at the Intel AI Global Impact Festival in 2022. The festival seeks to democratize AI by bringing together governments, academia, and student innovators to learn and celebrate next-generation innovators who solve real-world problems with AI. Houston Community College AI Program Coordinator Professor G. Brown, Ph.D. sees a future with ubiquitous AI that will change how we do most things. The team sees other potential uses for their technology in manufacturing, where the drone’s ability to detect movement can serve as an extra set of eyes for safety managers. There could also be applications in agriculture, crowd management, rescue efforts, environmental protection, and more. Dedicated to building a better future, the team is committed to developing this AI-powered tool to make schools and other spaces safer.
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- Proof of concept only. Not a commercially available or deployed solution today.
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