ChinaA team at Wuhan University invents a low-cost invisibility cloak that hides the human body from security cameras equipped with AI technology regardless of day or night.
The InvisDefense cloak makes it impossible for the security camera to detect the body of a person passing by. Photo: Wei Hui
The InvisDefense cloak is visible to the naked eye but is covered with a texture that can pass through cameras during the day and emits unusual heat signals at night. The product of a research team at the computer science school of Wuhan University won the first prize in the invention competition on November 27. The project leader is Professor Wang Zheng at Wuhan University. The paper describing the team’s invention will be published at AAAI 2023, the leading conference on artificial intelligence taking place on February 11 next year.
“Today, many surveillance devices can detect the human body. Street cameras with pedestrian detection and smart cars can recognize passers-by, roads and obstacles. Our InvisDefense allows the camera to record you, but cannot determine if you are human,” Wang said.
During the day, the camera usually detects the human body through motion and shape recognition. With a specially designed camouflage pattern on the surface, InvisDefense can interfere with the machine vision’s recognition algorithm, effectively blinding the camera so it can’t tell if the wearer is a human. At night, the camera tracks body movements through infrared thermal imaging. Fancy-shaped temperature control modules located on the inside of the InvisDefense gown create an unusual temperature pattern that messes with the infrared camera.
“The hardest part is balancing the camouflage pattern. Researchers often use bright images to influence machine vision. But it is very prominent to the human eye, making the user even more obvious.” Wei Hui, a doctoral student in charge of the core algorithm, said. “We use algorithms to design the least revealing textures, which can disable computer vision.”
The team conducted hundreds of experiments over 3 months before pulling out the best motif. Another advantage of InvisDefense is its low cost. The printing of textures on the surface is relatively cheap and only 4 heat control modules are needed to cover the infrared camera’s eyes.
According to Wang, the cost of a complete InvisDefense suite is less than $70. “This is the first product in the industry that can avoid pedestrian detection and is not suspicious to the naked eye. Through testing in the schoolyard, the ability to accurately detect pedestrians is reduced by 57%. , the number may be higher in the future. InvisDefense can be used in combat against drones or human-machine clashes on the battlefield,” Wang said.
An Khang (Follow SCMP)
