AI is used for a variety of applications and is said to safeguard people and enrich their lives in recent years. Renesas launched the RZ/V series as microprocessors (MPUs) for Vision AI in 2020. The RZ/V series has been highly acclaimed and there have been many inquiries from various sources regarding its high-speed AI inference and low consumption performance that match endpoint AI. In this blog, we would like to introduce some implementation examples by our partners using the RZ/V series, and AI that provides safety and comfort.
Safeguarding People Closely with AI
Although countermeasures are in place, it has been difficult to reduce the number of familiar accidents such as small children falling over, falling down, getting caught in gaps, etc. Our partner has developed and implemented more advanced pose detection using the RZ/V series. The key feature is highly accurate detection at the level of the wrist, elbow, and ankle, enabling the system to quickly alert users to accidents such as falling from a standing position, entering an area with stairs or steps, or getting one's hand or head caught in playground equipment or doors, etc to ensure safety. This system can detect danger right at the moment when a person puts his or her hand or steps on a staircase; whereas previously, the system could only detect danger after the person had completely climbed the staircase because it recognized the human body as a single mass.
This solution also supports multiple-person detection. A single camera can be used to safeguard multiple people simultaneously when deployed in hospitals or elderly care facilities. The system can predict accidents involving falls from beds and estimate where a person is in the room as well as their condition (standing up, sitting down or falling over), thus reducing the burden on caregivers.
Guarding Against Worksite Accidents
It is no exaggeration to say that danger is always next to you in the warehouses of logistics and transportation industries, where unmanned transport robots such as forklifts and (Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) move around, and in construction sites where construction equipment such as cranes and excavators move around. It is particularly difficult to reduce the number of accidents involving forklifts making contact with people, therefore strong safety measures are needed. The unique object detection model developed by our partner, implemented on the RZ/V series, is highly accurate, performs high-speed inference, and has a distance measurement function using a monocular camera. In other words, it is possible to strengthen surrounding monitoring by incorporating a camera module with this AI model on such vehicle equipment, especially since it can measure the distance to approaching people in real time. This is expected to enhance safety on site as well as maintain operational efficiency.
Further development includes expanding the area of safety monitoring from work sites to general sidewalks, and we could contribute to pedestrian safety by installing the system on bicycles and kick scooters.
Support Better Living
The lightweight, ultra-fast AI model achieving 10-person detection, 18 joint counts and 30 FPS is another implementation example of pose detection for better living. The demand for fitness programs has been increasing in recent years due to growing health consciousness. If this system is applied to dance and studio lessons, etc., it could instantly correct the participant's core and posture by comparing the participant with the instructor, resulting in significant fitness benefits as well as injury prevention. In addition to posture correction, physical distancing (distance between participants) that has been difficult to deal with due to COVID-19 can now be easily ensured, providing peace of mind. Furthermore, by adding a number count to specific areas termed as “line cross,” it could detect whether a person had entered a specific area allowing AI to manage the number of people entering the studio, thereby reducing the burden on the operation management.
We will continue to strengthen our collaboration with our partners to provide AI solutions that help solve various social issues. Learn more about the available AI solutions.