Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin, announces the launch of new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered panic buttons in buses of the capital city Chennai as a step to improve the safety of women.
The AI-enabled panic button will also be integrated with the CCTV surveillance system and will be initially deployed in 500 buses across the capital city.
PTI reported that this new development is part of the state transportation department’s Nirbhaya safe city project and will be integrated into nearly 2500 buses on a phase-wise basis.
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The newly announced system will have four panic buttons, AI-enabled Mobile Network Video Recorder (MNVR), and three cameras each. The MNVR is linked to a cloud-based control center via a 4G GSM SIM service.
Apart from providing safety to women, this AI-powered system can also be used by law enforcement agencies to track missing people, identify criminals, and perform other related tasks to maintain public order.
After its deployment, female travelers will be able to push the panic button to record the entire episode if they are inconvenienced, uncomfortable, or threatened by other passengers. Once activated, the system will automatically send an alert to the transportation and police authorities with a video recording of the bus.
Along with CM Stalin, Tamil Nadu Transport Minister SS Sivasankar was also present when the state secretariat launched the project. The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has brought 31 bus depots and 35 bus terminuses under surveillance, an official press release from the Tamil Nadu government mentioned.
