CES 2018: University research produces next generation video analytics

Entrepreneurs Daniel Martinho-Corbishley and Jaime Lomeli are demonstrating their Aura Vision Labs startup in Las Vegas, previewing a new technology that extracts valuable data from video footage by using computer vision and biometric identification techniques

Amid the bustle at the Consumer Electronics Show's Eureka Park this week is an emerging deep learning video analytics technology that has come far since first being discussed along university corridors on the south coast of England.

Entrepreneurs Daniel Martinho-Corbishley and Jaime Lomeli are demonstrating their Aura Vision Labs startup in Las Vegas, previewing a new technology that extracts valuable data from video footage by using computer vision and biometric identification techniques. The system, which is being developed for high-tech retail and smart city applications, can detect the gender, age and clothing style of every person in a crowd from any camera.

Aura Vision Labs builds upon PhD research undertaken by Daniel and Jaime at the University of Southampton, where they are currently based in the on-campus Future Worlds incubator.

"There are over 245 million professionally installed video surveillance cameras in operation globally, but only one per cent of this footage is currently being analysed," says Daniel. "Our technology harnesses this fantastic source of video data, working with low-cost cameras and existing security systems to provide retailers with a simple, cost-effective way to gain more accurate, in-depth and real-time information than has ever been possible before."

Aura Vision Labs' live demonstration at CES 2018 is tracking visitors at the University of Southampton's Future Worlds stand. The trial is outlining how the technology could be used in the retail sector to link customer demographics to their shopping journeys through the store and ultimately the items they purchase at checkout. This achieves a far more comprehensive data coverage than loyalty cards, with a higher accuracy and detail than alternatives like WiFi and Bluetooth tracking. Customer identities are also protected in the process as the system doesn't rely on accessing sensitive personal information.

"Retail marketers could go beyond simply counting customers," adds Daniel. "Now they can capture 100 per cent of in-store visitor demographics, dwell spots, walk-ins and walk-bys; this enables businesses to improve conversion rates, act on missed opportunities and target specific customer segments in unprecedented detail."

The potential of such a system being implemented can lead to privacy concerns and the co-founders are mindful of these important issues as they plan their business roadmap.

Jaime explains, "One of the main distinctive features of our algorithms is that they do not rely on visible faces. CCTV cameras are usually placed in such a way that makes it difficult to see people's faces at all times. Importantly, Aura Vision Labs' analytics aggregates all the data rather than individuating specific people.

"The acquired data could still be regarded as ‘personal data' by data protection regulations, which are guidelines on how this data has to be handled. Secure storage, the length of time a company is in possession of such data, retrieval systems and the potential to eliminate data on public request, are only some of the requirements to comply with privacy protection. Aura Vision Labs is being constructed on strong principles for the legal and ethical handling of data."

While Aura Vision Labs is initially being targeted at retailers, novel applications are set to be explored in other markets.

The international smart city revolution aims to reduce road traffic and ensure public safety through technological enhancement and the Aura Vision Labs team plan to use their technology to simultaneously track people and cars from CCTV, helping city operators identify atypical congestion and promote walking as part of a healthy lifestyle.

"CES 2018 provides the perfect opportunity to network with industry experts and investors, we hope the experience will present new openings to realise the potential in new markets," says Daniel. "There are only a modest number of university innovations being showcased in Eureka Park - Southampton stands alone from the UK - and I hope the benefits we draw from the experience this year could inspire others to follow this course in future."

CES 2018 is the Future Worlds incubator's third appearance at the world's biggest technology show, with three Southampton university innovations featured through live demonstrations and being conveyed back to a British audience through a daily blog. The incubator - which aims to introduce a US-style startup culture to the UK - has supported over 135 university entrepreneurs in Southampton since its launch in 2015, with over £5m having been raised and 45 staff employed collectively from the rising ventures.

Around 30 UK startups are exhibiting in total at Eureka Park this week. There will hopefully be many more businesses appearing at CES in the future, impacting the global stage with UK tech for many years to come.