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3D Lidar Helping to Improve Security and Traffic Safety Applications with COM-IoT
Jun 29, 2021 | By Velodyne Lidar

Interview with Mohamed Sadek, Founder, COM-IoT Technologies

From fostering safer and less distracted driving on roadways to protecting facilities and borders from intruders, applications that include artificial intelligence (AI), lidar technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) are enhancing the safety and livability of our communities. COM-IoT Technologies, based in Dubai, develops multi-use security, traffic safety and smart city solutions for governments and enterprise partners. Their solutions harness the power of smart, connected technology, including Velodyne’s lidar sensors, to help customers realize smart city and traffic enforcement goals.

We connected with Mohamed Sadek, Founder, COM-IoT Technologies, to find out more about how the company is using machine learning, artificial intelligence and lidar to build solutions that improve physical security and traffic safety.

Q: Would you introduce COM-IoT Technologies to our readers and share your company vision?

Mohamed: COM-IoT Technologies is an artificial intelligence company based in Dubai. We develop multi-use AI solutions in the areas of security, traffic safety and smart cities to help governments and enterprise partners protect and enhance the security and livability of their communities.

We want to make a positive contribution to our planet. We want to enhance the security, safety and livability of everyone. Our way to achieve that is to advance the global agenda for smarter, safer and more efficient cities by developing end-to-end AI and IoT technology solutions for government and enterprise partners.

COM-IoT Technologies Smart Police Patrol in Cairo, using Velodyne Lidar's Puck lidar sensor
COM-IoT Technologies Smart Police Patrol in Cairo, using Velodyne Lidar’s Puck lidar sensor

Q: Why did you select Velodyne’s lidar technology for your solutions and what has been your experience with our sensors?

Mohamed: Our main concern as we develop our solution is performance.

We test all lidar sensors, cameras and other devices used in our system from a variety of manufacturers and typically standardize our solutions on those that produce the highest performance.

Our experience with Velodyne sensors has been very positive indeed.

Q: How can your I-Trac Security platform advance security in perimeter protection and intruder detection?

Mohamed: I-Trac as a security platform hosts multiple solutions that have different applications for different use cases. It uses our very own perception system “Varci.” Varci has been developed with machine learning technology to detect humans.

With Varci, we are able to detect, track, assign unique ID, count and heatmap people and crowds. Varci also allows for the setting of restricted zones or zones of all types for the generation of alerts as use cases require.

For example, green, orange and red zones can be established to generate different levels of alerts upon human detection, or upon other types of thresholds such as a certain number of people being reached entering or present in the zone.

Fusion with cameras (IP and PTZ’s) allows for fusion between Varci and I-Face (our very own facial recognition system), resulting in our unique and patented solution – People Recognition and Tracking (PRT).

PRT is the only system that can remotely identify people on a wanted list (database) with alerts. It remotely tracks them on a layout map of the covered area with real-time continuous monitoring displayed on command and control screens as required.

COM-IoT Technologies HORUS TRC (Total Road Control) Colution, using Velodyne Lidar's Ultra Puck lidar sensor
COM-IoT Technologies HORUS TRC (Total Road Control) Colution, using Velodyne Lidar’s Ultra Puck lidar sensor

Q: Can you discuss how your HORUS TRC (Total Road Control) solution, which integrates Velodyne lidar and camera sensors, can help improve traffic safety?

Mohamed: HORUS TRC is a unique and novel solution that performs traffic management, traffic monitoring and traffic enforcement of a street, road or highway up to 16 lanes. The system detects and tracks vehicles and assigns a unique ID to each. It then applies a plethora of applications such as violation detection (including speed, tailgating, wrong way, shoulder driving, distracted drivers and seatbelt) as well as counting and classification of vehicles. In addition, the system works to detect accidents and debris on the road and records accidents in 3D by lidar for follow on investigation.

TRC also monitors dwell time, double parking and other important aspects in use cases such as airport departure and arrival areas where vehicles do passenger pickup and drop off’s.

A demo video showing how the COM-IoT in-motion patrol system works, using both lidar and cameras to improve traffic safety

Q: What’s coming next at COM-IoT Technologies? 

Mohamed: Our latest solution is heavy truck detection and tracking. Heavy trucks are those of 7.5 tons or more. They can be dangerous in cases of accidents and contribute much to road fatalities.

Heavy trucks are subject to a more restricted set of laws on the road. They are not permitted on most streets, and on highways, they are only allowed on certain lanes and must follow a lower speed limit. All that is to try and reduce the potential accidents and harm that can be caused in truck involved road accidents. The problem has been there was no way to detect those trucks from among all the other trucks and traffic on the road in order to enforce the law. As a recent addition to the HORUS TRC (Total Road Control) suite of services, it now detects heavy trucks (7.5 tons or bigger) and will then apply all required laws and regulations.

About Velodyne Lidar

Velodyne Lidar (Nasdaq: VLDR, VLDRW) ushered in a new era of autonomous technology with the invention of real-time surround view lidar sensors. Velodyne, a global leader in lidar, is known for its broad portfolio of breakthrough lidar technologies. Velodyne’s revolutionary sensor and software solutions provide flexibility, quality and performance to meet the needs of a wide range of industries, including robotics, industrial, intelligent infrastructure, autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Through continuous innovation, Velodyne strives to transform lives and communities by advancing safer mobility for all.

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