By: Herman DeBoard, CEO — Huvr

Over 142 million attendees visit stadiums in the United States every year for professional sporting events. However, stadiums are far more than just sports venues; they are cultural hubs that host millions of patrons for a wide range of events. 

To keep each of these millions of people safe, stadium security teams must watch and continuously analyze the information from up to a thousand different cameras. While this task has long presented a daunting challenge for humans, AI is now here to lend them a helping hand.

When integrated into a stadium’s security, AI can react with the speed and fluidity of the body’s limbic system to constantly track its environment, detect threats, and assess risks. Just like we enter fight or flight mode in the blink of an eye, the AI-powered security system sends teams to engage the threat or evacuate the stadium in seconds.

The challenges facing stadium security teams

One of the apparent challenges of stadium security is the sheer scope of the building and crowd. Stadiums house tens of thousands of people for each event they host, and all of them must be safely accommodated, monitored, and evacuated in case of emergency.

Because of their size, stadiums are designed with multiple entry and exit points to facilitate quick access. However, each point represents a potential vulnerability that must be rigorously monitored and secured to prevent unauthorized entry.

A stadium’s security team must cover this area, looking for threats ranging from physical assaults and terrorism to cyber-attacks targeting digital infrastructure. The unpredictability and variety of these threats require a multifaceted approach. 

While monitoring immense crowds, entrances, exits, parking lots, and corridors for signs of these threats, cameras and sensors generate a constant stream of data. The information they provide is invaluable, but security teams often struggle to analyze it quickly enough to address issues as they arise.

How FoRI technology and AI help boost stadium security

A Fiber Optic Ring Interferometer (FoRI) comprises two beams of light traveling at light speed. FoRI technology can establish a security perimeter and detect any audio events within that loop. Any time sound waves cross the fiber optic ring, they bend it slightly. It is sensitive enough to detect a falling snowflake, but we are looking for audio anomalies that rise above or fall below expected crowd noise in a stadium.

Combining this highly sensitive FoRI technology with a sophisticated AI system trained to scan for audio anomalies takes stadium security to the next level. Essentially, FoRI technology becomes the stadium’s eyes and ears, and AI becomes the brain. Together, they identify security anomalies in real-time and tell security teams exactly where to look. The new technology is not designed to replace existing security systems but to make them smarter and faster.

To illustrate how this technology handles a typical situation, consider how a physical fight between stadium attendees typically begins with raised voices. The FoRI technology constantly registers all of the sound waves within the stadium, but the shouting of the angry fans, which clashes with the sounds of the surrounding crowd, triggers the AI’s attention. In response, the AI system directs a camera to record footage of that exact location and sends a 60-second clip to the server for analysis. Within a split second, the stadium’s security team has the footage and text describing how many people are involved in the threat, what they look like, and where to look for them.

The stadium’s AI learns from and becomes smarter with each anomaly it reports. For example, if a gun fires within the stadium, the AI will report the anomaly and remember that sound. Units all over the world are doing the same thing. Each of these systems benefits from what the others are learning.

This advanced AI technology enables the stadium to track everything inside the fiber optic ring. As the system grows more intelligent, security teams can control crowds more effectively, respond to issues more quickly, and keep attendees safer.

Installing and operating FoRI security systems

The FoRI loop can cover expansive venues because its broad coverage allows the AI system to monitor every part of a stadium. FoRI systems are designed to be discreetly integrated into existing stadium infrastructures without invasive installation procedures.

Since fiber optic cables work equally well in outdoor and indoor settings, this combination of FoRI and AI technology works in any size or type of stadium because the system is weather-proof and impervious to wind and temperature fluctuations. Additionally, the advanced system is portable and virtually plug-and-play, meaning it can be installed by one person and operated from a single, easily concealed device.

Integrating AI into stadium security represents a paradigm shift towards proactive, predictive, and precise security measures. These technologies add one more layer to existing stadium security, significantly improving the operational efficiency and safety of the entire venue and offering event planners greater peace of mind.

Published by: Josh Tatunay