According to a recent blog post by the access control manufacturer, there are two main areas where security professionals can benefit from augmented reality: accessible project information and photo and video capture.
Augmented reality (AR) has become a hot topic. In fact, the craze associated with Pokemon Go, at least during its initial stage, had much to do with this technology: in AR mode, the Pokemon is superimposed onto a live view of the user’s surroundings, looking as if it appears in the real world. Now the question becomes whether AR can also be applied to physical security.
On this topic, a recent
ASSA ABLOY Future Lab blog post offered some insights. According to the post, which featured comments from Brian Schwab, President of S3 Security, there are two main areas where security professionals can benefit from augmented reality: accessible project information and photo and video capture.
For locksmiths and technicians, for example, they can have a more holistic and comprehensive view of the projects they are working on. “As I conduct physical security assessments, I use the VuZix M100 glasses to call up drawings and floor plans of the site,” Schwab is quoted as saying. “Having the information at his fingertips has proved invaluable. Access to site information can also assist first responders trying to navigate a facility, helping them to plot the quickest, safest route to their destination.”
According to him, having project information available through AR can assist technicians and locksmiths by superimposing wiring diagrams over the door. “Let’s say I have an electronic lock that has malfunctioned,” he said. “I can call up the wiring diagrams and superimpose them over the door. I can trace conduit diagrams through floors and walls and see things that I wouldn’t be able to see just by looking at a diagram on my smart phone or tablet.”
According to Schwab, AR also enables security professionals to transmit images and video back to a central location. “As I walk through an assessment, I can record and transmit what I’m seeing back to a central location,” he said. “So, not only do I have a record, but others can be looking to see what I see in real time.”
Another beauty of this photo and video capture functionality, according to Schwab, is it allows security professionals to communicate their needs more effectively. “One of the biggest obstacles I encounter in physical security is being able to get a budget to do what needs doing,” he said. “But if in a few generations of this technology I could project these photographs or overlays from my headset onto a platform that others can view, say, in a boardroom, then people can see with their own two eyes. I won’t just say: ‘You need to replace a 1,000 foot stretch of fence.’ They’ll be able to see that the fence is worn out, that there’s a section lying on the ground. Visuals like that could have an impact of the funding of physical security projects.”