The Rise of AI

Go ahead, try to find an executive who hasn’t been trying to implement AI in one way or another. You won’t.

AI is playing a big part in the evolution of vehicle video safety tech, to the benefit of fleets of all types who need detection and camera systems for commercial vehicles.

Arguably the buzzword of the year (or decade, at this rate), artificial intelligence is improving video and detection systems on multiple facets. In fact, it’s raising the bar high enough to make a significant dent in liabilities for some of the largest fleets. Here are a few systems that exemplify this trend…

AI + Object Detection

Our first stop is a busy warehouse, where heavy pallets and workers are always on the move and 30% of accidents are forklift-related. Now, consider the implications of an AI-enabled object detection camera that can give alerts for risky forklift-driver behavior and eliminate blind spots in high-traffic areas by picking up pedestrian and vehicle movements in a 360° viewing area. Yes, game-changing would be an apt descriptor here.

While a tenured driver would reap the benefits of the around-vehicle detection system and blind spot exposure, an inexperienced operator improperly maneuvering a forklift on the verge of calamity would be easily detected by a warehouse manager. The operator can then be reassigned to another task, where they’d be less likely to damage property or cause bodily harm to themselves and pedestrians. Immediate action is possible with real-time alerts, allowing for huge cost savings from accident avoidance.

AI’s added layer of gesture and object identification tracking improves the ability to forecast problems, so that they can be addressed appropriately. These adjustments lead to decreased future injuries or fatalities, less insurance or downtime costs, and increases in operational efficiency and vehicle life, all made possible with specialized forklift systems like the RVS 360° AI Pedestrian Detection System.

Let’s now step outside to the warehouse’s loading dock area, where reversing and parking large vehicles, like box trucks, requires tight maneuvering and practiced skill. A system like the RVS 180° AI Pedestrian Detection System not only protects pedestrians and warehouse workers on the move, but protects drivers from liabilities and vehicles from accidents. Its visual and audio warnings create situational awareness and a safer space in what is usually a high-risk environment for drivers who regularly deal with blind spots. AI’s object identification capability increases the accuracy of these systems, to everyone’s benefit.

AI + Camera Systems

Finally, we step into the driver’s cab of the box truck leaving that warehouse. Insights gained from driver-facing AI-powered cameras like the RVS’s MobileMule ™ AI offer management a powerful look into operator behaviors, route and fuel efficiency, and even maintenance issues. An investment in these AI-powered driver-facing cameras can have serious implications, when you consider that accidents cost fleets $100,000 on average and $750,000 or more when serious or fatal injuries are involved.

AI assists these driver-facing cameras by helping to detect eye movements (like a drowsy or distracted gaze) and hand gestures, in addition to tagging drivers to specific routes using specialized facial recognition software. These features combine to harvest behavioral data from the driver’s cab, unlocking real-time coaching or subsequent training. Driver alerts are also made possible with the system’s road-facing camera, with speeding, tailgating, and forward collision warning providing ADAS, while incidents are recorded and uploaded to the cloud.

While most passenger cars and SUVs come with their own camera system, a customized aftermarket solution for commercial fleet vehicles is easily obtainable, complete with multiple wide angle AI cameras capable of advanced recognition (from multiple objects to gestures), proximity warnings, visual alerts, and the ability to combine with a monitor and DVR. With a 4-camera configuration, any large vehicle could have 360° coverage.

AI-powered cameras enhance vehicle, pedestrian, and cyclist identification, removing uncertainty about a driver’s surroundings. When utilized for an around-vehicle configuration in a crowded urban setting, the benefits are immense.

Now, blind spots can be exposed and tasks like lane-switching, parking, and avoiding rear-end collisions, sideswipes, or underrides become easier. In urban settings like NYC, where the road is now shared with more bike lanes, an influx of electric delivery scooters, and large commercial vehicles with poor peripheral vision, an AI-assisted camera system can be the difference between life and death.

The Endgame

Though it’s the most hyped technology of our time, AI is actually upgrading current safety video technologies with features that will benefit everyone on the road, not just our box-truck driver on his route.