Axis Communications on June 10 held their biennial Solution Conference in Taipei. At the event, the company had several presentations and displayed a variety of new products, including those powered by
ARTPEC-9, Axis’s latest-generation SoC. Below are some of the highlights from the event.
ARTPEC-9
Leon Zou, Director of R&D China at Axis Communications, gave the keynote presentation on ARTPEC-9, Axis’s ninth-generation system-on-chip (SoC) that is already found in some Axis cameras including the Q1728 model. ARTPEC-9 is a step up from the previous ARTPEC-8 and includes several cutting-edge features including: streamlined video management, where the AV1 video encoding standard is utilized to help reduce bandwidth and storage requirements; cutting-edge AI, which can recognize a wider variety of objects to ensure more precise and reliable classification; superior imaging, which enables clear, detailed images regardless of the lighting condition; and enhanced cybersecurity with features like secure boot and signed OS.
“So, no fake operating systems or operating systems that have been hacked can be installed on our cameras. Instead, only safe operating systems that Axis has specifically signed can be installed,” Zou said.
Diverse portfolio
During her presentation, Evonne Tsai, Technical Manager for North Asia, introduced Axis’s diverse portfolio. She analogized Axis products and solutions to human senses. In terms of sight, Axis has a comprehensive range of IP cameras, most of which now come with advanced edge computing capabilities. For places where visible light cameras are limited by challenging lighting conditions, Axis also has thermal solutions that can serve various purposes including detecting threats in darkness, detecting temperature abnormalities in critical facilities such as data centers, and protecting user privacy in places where visible light cameras are not suitable. For certain applications such as transportation, Axis also has radars that can not only detect objects but also their distance and speed.
In terms of hearing, Axis has audio sensors that are built into cameras which can “hear” sounds or noises that may indicate danger, for example screaming, yelling and glass breaking. What makes Axis’s audio solution special is that only sound patterns are collected and analyzed – actual conversations or discussions will not be recorded to protect user privacy.
In terms of smell, Axis has environmental sensors that can monitor air quality and detect various air pollutants such as VOCs, NOx, and CO2, in addition to temperature and relative humidity. They also have the ability to detect vaping and smoking. “Smoking detection is very important in places where cameras cannot be installed, for example hotel rooms and restrooms. In these places it may be difficult to detect people secretly smoking. But a sensor like this has no privacy issues. It is very ideal for them to be installed in places where cameras are not suitable,” Tsai said.
Panel discussion on cybersecurity
Another highlight of the event was a panel discussion on cybersecurity moderated by Jessica Chang, Regional Director for North Asia, and joined by Tsai as well as Ja-Yun Lee, 3D Vision Director at Solomon AI, and Chang Kuo-ling, former IT Manager at My Humble House Group. The panelist reached the consensus that, amid a rise in data and networkable devices, cybersecurity has become more important than ever and is key to maintaining business resilience. In this regard, Tsai stressed that customers can find as a trusted partner Axis, whose products come with cutting-edge cybersecurity features including device keys that prevent data leaks and advanced firmware that contains viruses on the device to keep them from spreading.
Among other highlights, Jonatan DychawyView, Product Growth Manager, spoke on the concept of total cost of ownership and how Axis products can help customers save over the long term instead of just at the point of acquisition. Charlie Lai, Senior Distribution and Channel Sales Manager, provided more details on Axis’s audio solutions and how they can enhance real-time incident management by identifying potential threats. Jarvis Luo, Key Account Manager, discussed the latest version of the Axis Camera Station VMS and how it can work effectively in a private network, cloud environment or a hybrid architecture of the two. The event also featured the products and solutions of prestigious Axis Taiwan partners including Commscope, Cyberlink and Solomon.