Smart surveillance systems capable of automatically detecting violent crimes could soon be available.

A computer vision system developed in the University of Texas in Austin, US, can already tell the difference between friendly behaviour, such as shaking hands, and aggressive actions like punching or pushing.

The hope is that such systems will simplify the task of monitoring huge quantities of CCTV security footage, says Sangho Park, who worked on the project with colleague Jake Aggarwal.

In the past, surveillance systems have been developed that can detect statistically "unusual" behaviour and have been put to test at subway stations, for example (see Smart statistics keep eye on CCTV).
Specific activity

However, these systems are limited to spotting unusual visual patterns and cannot pick out specific types of activity, says Park, now based at the University of California in San Diego, US. He reckons his new system could change all that.

http://www.newscientisttech.com/arti...behaviour.html