KITAKYUSHU is a demonstration experiment using artificial intelligence to detect dangers that could lead to fatal accidents at day care centers and kindergartens in southwest Japan.
The AI system, developed by Kitakyushu-based startup Hapikuro Co., is being tested at Takami Kindergarten in the city. It is intended to analyze footage to detect dangers and provide information that can be used to ensure safety measures and prevent life-threatening accidents at child care facilities.
Three cameras connected to the internet have been set up in classrooms and by the playground at the kindergarten, and the AI system detects children, toys on the floor, shelves in the rooms, and other objects, accumulating data to learn from the information. The system is supposed to be able to predict the hazards that could befall children at such facilities, according to officials.
Hapikuro, a provider of IT systems, applied for aid under a municipal government program to develop the system. The firm hopes to bring the technology into practical use in two years by collecting data until February next year and commercializing it in two years.
There are limits to manpower, and there are also differences in the abilities of staff to spot signs of danger based on how long they have performed their jobs, and there are limitations to their ability to ensure children's safety at those facilities.
The IT company is looking into using the AI system to train staff at day care and kindergartens.
The system will be able to pinpoint dangers in real time, assisting efforts to ensure safety, said Yoshitaka Nakata, 42.
In January, the firm is going to start a demonstration experiment to make sure children are not left behind in commuter buses.
Eryu Matsuzaki, director of Takami Kindergarten, said, By introducing IT, we can protect children under multiple layers of safety management and be of help not only to Kitakyushu but also the entire country.