This Indian Company is Harnessing AI for Traffic Regulation
Noida-based company, Vehant Technology, is making significant strides by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) for traffic regulation. The firm has successfully secured Delhi Police as its client, with the law enforcement agency currently installing or in the process of installing 535 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) software at strategic locations throughout the city.
These AI-powered ANPR systems are seamlessly integrated with police station control rooms, enabling efficient surveillance by analyzing video streams to identify and capture vehicle number plates. Vehant Technologies’ CEO and co-founder, Kapil Bardeja, explains that their plate reading cameras have been deployed to cover over 2,000 lanes in Delhi. These cameras track vehicle movement, particularly in relation to stolen or suspected vehicles.
The use of computer vision algorithms by law enforcement agencies worldwide has become indispensable. These algorithms analyze real-time video feeds, identifying and tracking individuals, vehicles, and thereby enhancing public safety, incident investigations, and prompt response to potential security threats.
Vehant Technologies plays a vital role in this transformation by leveraging image classification, object detection, object tracking, and image retrieval algorithms. These algorithms improve the accuracy and efficiency in retrieving objects of reference, accelerating decision-making capabilities for clients.
Unlike generic models available on the market, Vehant Technologies customizes their AI models for specific problem-solving. By training the models in-house, they ensure application-oriented solutions that are designed to cater to client requirements. These models are run on edge devices, such as their plate reading cameras, taking inspiration from existing literature and incorporating state-of-the-art performance.
Bardeja elaborates on the implementation of their technology in Gurugram, where their cameras are deployed across 250 different lanes. Their AI-powered system detects violations, such as riding without a helmet, by capturing snapshots, reading number plates, and providing images for analysis in real-time. These violations are then bundled into a challan form, subject to manual verification by law enforcement agencies to ensure accuracy before generating an auto-challan.
Currently, around 2,000 challans are validated daily using Vehant’s AI-powered system. However, Bardeja emphasizes that the number of challans generated by AI is much higher. In fact, Vehant’s number plate scanning technology is deployed in 50 Smart Cities across India, managing close to 1 billion transactions annually.
In addition to their advancements in traffic regulation, Vehant Technologies is the sole Indian company approved by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security to deploy dual-view X-ray scanners in Indian airports. Their high-end technology has been installed at 70 airports across the country, including Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, and Jodhpur.
The AI algorithms within Vehant’s scanners enable the automatic detection of contraband items, such as guns, gun parts, knives, and scissors. These state-of-the-art machines instantly stop the conveyor upon detecting any prohibited objects, alerting security operators of potential threats while maintaining low false alarm rates.
Vehant Technology’s journey began in 2005 when the Indian government approached IIT Delhi to develop indigenously created under-vehicle scanning systems. Prior to this, such systems were imported from the UK at a hefty cost of around INR 1 crore. Over the years, Vehant Technology has made significant technological advancements, benefiting from improvements in computer resolutions, hardware infrastructure, and the cost of bandwidth.
Bardeja points out that high-resolution cameras, reduced compute costs, advancements in software algorithms, and the availability of low-cost data transmission to the cloud have allowed them to offer accurate solutions. Vehant Technology’s proprietary algorithm caters to specific use cases, resulting in reasonably priced solutions that meet the needs of their clients.
As Vehant Technology continues to revolutionize traffic regulation and airport security, their innovative AI-powered systems are making significant strides in enhancing public safety in India and beyond. With their application-oriented approach, customizing AI models, and leveraging cutting-edge technology, Vehant Technology is at the forefront of harnessing AI for the benefit of society.
