Security&Safety Things AppChallenge
The year 2020: a year of change, but also of new beginnings and innovations. Many things have changed already, and many more will likely change in the future. For us at TNG, the time spent in seclusion has been a valuable opportunity to reflect, but also to create something new!
The Security and Safety Things App Challenge 2020 provided the perfect setting to demonstrate our computer vision skills under time pressure. In just three months we managed to create two innovative apps – all the way from idea to development to availability in the marketplace. Not only that but both apps were actually awarded first prize in their categories: Visual Feedback won in the Retail and Commerce category and Dynamic Privacy Mask in the Smart Cities category!
This year we not only wave goodbye to handshakes, but also to unsanitary feedback buttons! As retail store managers told us, customer feedback given via physical, in-store feedback buttons has indeed decreased dramatically. We remedied this with our app Visual Feedback! Visual Feedback enables customers to give feedback with a simple hand gesture, e.g. a thumbs up or thumbs down (demo video). To make the process even more playful and engaging, emojis that correspond to the given feedback are then displayed in place of the customer's head. Giving feedback with Visual Feedback is not only contactless, but also fun!
Our second app is a bit more serious. Many of us feel uncomfortable when high-resolution security cameras record personal data. Of course this cannot be completely avoided (after all, cameras are there to record people!) but that does not mean that credit cards or PIN pads have to be filmed at the grocery store or that the screen of your laptop needs to be captured in the waiting area at the airport. In fact, GDPR even demands that the collection of personal data be limited to what is necessary ("data minimization"). With Dynamic Privacy Mask, the recording of personal data can now be minimized even further. Using a Neutral Network, our app masks object classes such as people, laptops, and keyboards (demo video) – and soon also PIN pads, credit cards, and mobile phones. Through our app we hope to raise the standard of data protection and privacy in the long term. After all, GDPR also states that operators of security cameras must adhere to the technological state of the art when it comes to protecting personal data (and, in particular, everyone's right to informational self-determination).
Want to learn more about our apps? Drop us a line at iot-apps(at)tngtech.com for more information and let us know what you think!