Mobile AI camera units developed by a pioneering Kiwi company are set to make sites safer after funding was awarded to help spread the technology.
A platform called R/VISION has been developed by New Zealand tech company RUSH to monitor critical risks and alert workers to make real-time adjustments to improve safety. The project uses computer vision machine learning – a specialised field of artificial intelligence that trains computers to interpret and understand visual information from the world around them. Piloted in collaboration with Downer, the technology has received funding from Waka Kotahi Hoe ki angitū – Innovation Fund.
Mobile AI camera units are placed around traffic management sites to prompt workers to take action on any present safety concerns. The technology supplements human decision-making by providing workers with real-time data, predictive analytics and auto-risk assessments to help inform and enable those on site to stay safe.
Waka Kotahi Future Transport Manager, Lee McKenzie, says the project shows great potential.
“We believe every road worker and road user should go home safely, and we’re proud to be supporting this, and other projects, that uphold this vision through Hoe ki angitū.
"By partnering with innovators like Rush in collaboration with Downer, we can accelerate potentially transformational solutions to some of our biggest transport challenges.”
The integration of AI into operational safety is an exciting development for the construction industry, which has long awaited fresh innovation, says Murray Robertson Chief Operating Officer – Transport & Infrastructure, Downer Group.
“We understand the inherent dangers associated with working in the road corridor. R/VISION has the potential to act as a crucial safety net, providing our teams with the right information to make informed decisions on-site. It doesn’t replace the importance of human judgment, but rather complements it as another valuable tool in our toolbox,” says Robertson.
