NORTH CAROLINA, USA — School safety is a top priority as students head back into the classroom. New technology is helping to provide an added layer of protection by spotting a potential threat before it's too late.
Iterate Studios created the technology more than a year ago mainly for commercial use. It works with existing security cameras paired with artificial intelligence to identify questionable items like weapons.
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"It can spot guns, kevlar vests, knives," Iterate Studios CEO Jon Nordmark said. "It can even identify masks that look suspicious.”
Once the threat is spotted, an alert is automatically shared. In the case of a school setting, it would then be up to each school or school district to establish the next steps and what safety protocols to follow.
“It would be in the best interest of all the kids, the teachers to have a camera like that on a door that might be unprotected where a security guard can’t be," Nordmark said.
Iterate says the threat awareness technology is being used in 3,500 locations worldwide. For now, that does not include any school districts throughout the greater Charlotte area.
Iterate leaders are working to improve access and affordability by offering the tool for $1,000 a year per school.
“We just provide the tool to spot the problem or the potential problem and then it’s up to the school to set the rule what happens after that," Nordmark said.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.