How EDGEMATRIX’s Video Edge AI Solution Can Transform Smart Cities

This blog is a summary of an interview article with EDGEMATRIX, which was featured in Global Business Leaders. The company provides a video edge AI solution that makes smart cities visible, and contributes to solving social issues. The full text of the interview article can be found [here]. Below, we will share some of the main points from the article.

AI technology is used in many fields today. In smart cities, various data such as environmental data, equipment operation data, consumer attributes and behavior data are collected by sensors, integrated and analyzed by AI, and facilities and equipment are remotely controlled to optimize the city's infrastructure, facilities, and operations. By adding video + AI to smart cities, anomalies and dangers that sensors and AI alert can be scanned by video, and if AI processing is done at the site (edge) where surveillance cameras are installed, it can be responded to in real time. Also, since there is no need to compress and send the video, the AI recognition accuracy is improved.

Sensor information in smart cities is like a nervous system. EDGEMATRIX's cutting-edge solution functions as an infrastructure and platform that visualizes smart cities like human eyes. EDGEMATRIX is a pioneer in the industry that provides video edge AI end-to-end in one stop. The company has been developing and providing video edge AI devices since before its establishment in 2019.

How EDGEMATRIX was born

EDGEMATRIX was born in 2019 as a spin-off from CLOUDIAN's Japanese AI project team, which is headquartered in Silicon Valley. The team conducted a demonstration experiment to use AI to identify the type of vehicle running on the highway and display the optimal advertisement on the digital signage. Previously, sending HD video to the cloud was the cause of delay and reduced image quality. This required bringing an AI processing server to the site (edge). Based on this, the team developed a compact device "Edge AI Box" that incorporates high-performance GPU, WiFi/LTE/5G communication, camera connection and other interfaces, enabling video edge AI at any site. Considering that video edge AI will be installed at various sites that are difficult for humans to manage, EDGEMATRIX started providing remote management platforms for Edge AI Box, cameras, and AI applications in 2020.

EDGEMATRIX's AI solution provides a wide range of services from video edge AI devices (Edge AI Box), remote management platform (EDGEMATRIX platform service), AI application sales (EDGEMATRIX store), to site implementation including camera installation and adjustment. These cutting-edge AI solutions are robust and reliable devices that are different from general AI cameras. The devices are often used to detect and notify the status of people, vehicles, and objects such as intrusion into railway premises, road traffic volume, parking lot occupancy, congestion at large-scale facilities. They are also used for safety and security purposes such as danger warning at stations, fall accident warning at nursing homes, suspicious person detection at material storage sites.

"Edge + AI + Video" is an important technology trend for creating a safe and secure society. The ability to analyze in real time without delay is EDGEMATRIX's strength in video edge AI. The company's strength is the accumulation of know-how to go to the site, install video edge AI, and optimize it. This excellent application is EDGEMATRIX's unique differentiation factor compared to other AI companies in the industry.

Beneficial service for customers

EDGEMATRIX's platform service not only detects events that occur from video at the site, but also allows you to remotely check the situation at the site using video in real time. This uses P2P technology like Zoom or Skype, but instead of connecting people with people like online meetings, it uses it to connect people with camera video at the site. The platform service has functions such as notifying AI alerts by email or other means, and "Edge View" function. With the "Edge View" function, you can check multiple camera videos on one screen or enlarge a specific camera video. In addition, with the "Edge View" function, you can display colored frames or labels on objects or people detected by AI applications, or display counts or graphs. These functions allow customers to grasp the situation at the site more in detail.

EDGEMATRIX provides a video edge AI solution that makes smart cities visible. The company solves social issues along with the technology trend of "Edge + AI + Video" and provides beneficial services for customers. EDGEMATRIX will continue to focus on developing and providing video edge AI solutions and contribute to realizing smart cities.