What if there existed a smart camera that could constantly analyze the scene in your home or office and alert you when someone enters carrying a gun? That dream may or may not become a reality, and it all depends on whether or not nanoWatt Design can manage to raise the $200,000 it needs to jump-start production in the next 34 days.
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GunDetect is being billed as a smart camera and accompanying cloud-based image analysis service that will alert owners by text message anytime someone enters the device’s field of view carrying a gun. Conventional gun detector systems are a bit more reliable — GunDetect’s creators claim 90% accuracy — but starting at $350, GunDetect is a fraction of the price. More complex systems can cost between $15,000 and $60,000.
“GunDetect uses computer-vision processing to automatically detect a firearm and alert you via a text message,” nanoWatt’s Kickstarter page says. “It may be used to protect your own gun from unauthorized use or to alert you to the presence of a gun during an invasion of your home or business. GunDetect is designed to compliment [sic] gun security. It doesn’t require any changes to the gun itself. And GunDetect is completely controlled by you, the consumer. Your information goes to you alone, and you decide how to respond.”
The $350 model uses cloud-based image analysis to detect guns, and it carries a monthly subscription fee to support that service. A more expensive $550 model analyzes images locally and doesn’t require a monthly subscription.
NanoWatt’s crowdfunding campaign just launched on Thursday, and it’s looking to raise $200,000. A video below explains GunDetect in greater detail.
