U.K. tests infrared HOV-compliance cam
posted July 19th 2005 2:00PM
As has been pointed out on numerous
occasions since the London terror attacks, there are a lot of surveillance cameras in the U.K. And now the
country can add at least one more to that list, as the Department of Transport begins testing a system designed to
monitor compliance in highway HOV lanes. Using the Cyclops Image System developed by U.K. company Laser Optical
Engineering, infrared cameras mounted on overpasses can scan the inside of a vehicle, and face-detection software can
determine the number of passengers inside. Laser Optical claims a 95% accuracy rate with the system. As for British
subjects worried about yet another eye in the sky tracking them down, there's no need for too much concern just yet —
there are only two HOV lanes in the entire country, which somewhat limits the opportunities for deployment of the
Cyclops.
[Thanks, Richard]
Just use a blow-up doll.
This is a good idea, I hope they make these for the US as well. I personally think cameras are good because they provide evidence in case accidents occur or other tragic events.
Isn't it ironic that it's called Cyclops, yet there are two cameras?
I heard that it is called Cyclops because it shoots laser beams out of its eyes and kills you X-Men style, if you don't have the proper number of passengers in the car. Can anyone verify?
Wouldn't heat signatures be more effective than face recognition? That way they can be in the back seat.
I still like the arguement of a pregnant mother. Might be a hoax but ... I'd use it. What judge is going to claim the baby you are holding in court was not a second occupant when you got your ticket.
The cameras are infrared. These detect heat signatures, much like the Predator. A blow-up doll won't fool the predator and will not be detected as a person by the camera. A little mud confused the Predator, so maybe put mud all over your blow-up doll.
Put mud on your face and make the system think that no one is in the car.
Or put the sun visor down
And how much money was spent implementing this, all for the sake of stopping the Terrible Evil(tm) of HOV lane non-compliance? Priorities...
There's something gonzo about the fact that the general populace is essentially funding the perpetual furtherance of a police state...
LOL at #4! Too funny.
Here in Seattle, we have car pool lanes all around town. Most of them only require two people in the car. The interesting byproduct is that parents with kids can ride in the car pool lane. The fact that we have laws that requires kids to be in the back seat makes camera enforcement of somethign like this extremely hard. Sometimes it makes visual enforcement hard, simply because the kids heads may not even be visible out the window.
I wonder if the system could eventually be tweaked to recognize extremely dangerous criminals. It could also be used as a new kind of Amber Alert.
Just my thoughts. I know that facial recognition needs more work before this happens, but the system might already keep the snapshots for future review.
I've got heated seats on my car. Sorted!
Well, no more auto sex in the HOV lane...
No #14, it's back to the manual kind for you!
(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
95% accuracy? so 1 in 20 tickets is wrong...let's see at 2500 vehicles an hour, you're talking 1000 wrong tickets in an 8 hour hov period (per day)