Vehicle Occupancy develops skin-detecting CCTV

Story link: Vehicle Occupancy develops skin-detecting CCTV by Jan Harris

Vehicle Occupancy, a Loughborough University spin off, has developed CCTV technology, called dtech, which can detect human skin.

The infrared CCTV system can be used to scan car windscreens and detect how many people are in the car. The company believes it could help with the enforcement of traffic regulations, such as the London Congestion Charge.

Vehicle Occupancy has developed a commercial application of the technology, which can monitor high occupancy vehicle lanes. Only vehicles with more than one occupant are allowed to travel in these lanes, in an effort to reduce congestion.

Leeds City Council has expressed interest in the technology, and may test the application on its car-pool lanes. UK councils are also interested in using dtech to police vehicle occupancy.

According to Professor John Tyrer, professor of optical instrumentation at Loughborough University, the technology could make the Congestion Charge in London more effective by targeting the charge at vehicles with only one occupant.

This would be more likely to cause motorists to change their behaviour than the current Congestion Charge scheme which has not made a great deal of difference.

The technology could also be used for people auditing, survey work and monitoring border crossing.