Way-cool video analytics

2/12/2009 12:00 PM EST

Here's how it works: Like most video analytics algorithms, BriefCam starts by identifying objects and activities in the recording. For example, it can track all cars and pedestrians in a scene. Then BriefCam does something different: It pulls the objects of interest out of the video and uses them to create a new synopsis video. This synopsis shows activities that occurred at different times as if they overlapped. The effect is hard to describe: It's like an extreme fast-forward, except that you can clearly see the interesting parts. You really have to watch the demo to see how it works—words don't do it justice.

I think this technology has a lot of potential. One of the big problems with surveillance is that nobody has time to review all the footage. BriefCam's technology is a rather clever solution to this problem.

Update: You can find even more demos—including some rather trippy demos—see The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where the technology was developed.