Blog
Insights from the field.
Perspectives on AI-video analytics, operational intelligence, and the industries we serve.
The Art of Design Makes Data Insights Accessible from Video Analytics
Unleash live’s software platform is built to enable fast automated insights from virtually any connected camera. Behind the scenes is the team of product designers who thrive in the fast-paced environment of the technology sector. Meet some of the team and learn more about how they approach the design to unlock an excellent user experience and opportunities to access visual insights for customers. James Kwong, Chief Product Officer at Unleash live in conversation with Aga Hulewicz, UX Designer. The industry, not the role, draws attention when asked about my work. Explaining what a User Experience Designer does can sometimes get hazy, but AI, drones and cameras are more tangible and interesting. They form a part of the quickly changing technological landscape influencing almost every industry. Staying on top of these changes is important for building products like Unleash live. It allows us to get our customers the benefits of new tech with minimal disruption to their work. How to stay relevant? I asked James Kwong, Chief Product Officer, about his approach to staying on top of the tech advancement. His answer surprised me at first. Despite how much technology has changed and advanced, at the same time, not much has fundamentally changed for designers. New tools, software, services, hardware, infrastructure, connectivity and speed evolves. However, the impact on everyday users does not always keep up with technology. - James Kwong, Head of Product How come? James pointed out that some of the biggest changes in technology revolve around the types of devices that we interact with daily. Cars now have embedded sensors, screens, and microphones. TVs have smart remotes and are at the center of home automation. VR headsets and hand controllers allow us to interact in virtual spaces. This shift means the interaction between humans, devices, and software evolves. Let’s bring this to life: a drone provider, Flyability, inspects infrastructure assets with new equipment, an Eli
How Computer Vision is Boosting the Mining Industry’s Productivity
Computer vision is transforming the way businesses operate. With the rapid deployment of state-of-the-art A.I. technologies, businesses and organizations receive more actionable data and insights than ever, driving down their costs and enabling a safer and more productive work environment. Computer vision applications Over the past ten years, computer vision applications have multiplied at breakneck speed. As a result, businesses are already making significant investments in AI-driven technologies, from sophisticated industrial and governmental institutions to commerce technology and medical applications. The international market for computer vision technologies is anticipated to develop at a compound annual growth of 7.6% to $19.1 billion between 2020 and 2027. This is due to the expenditure speed and immediate advantages computer vision applications provide. The use cases for A.I. cover a range of scenarios, though some industries have found massive benefits in using A.I. to address economic aspects and worker safety. A prime example of where computer vision is revolutionizing an industry is in the mining & metals sector. Computer vision applications in the mining industry Mining, drills, and blasting are often needed for underground and surface operations in pits and subsurface quarrying. In addition, large rocks produced by mine-to-mill processes typically need to be crushed and ground down to a smaller size. Rocks are delivered via conveyor belts to grinding equipment before entering the mills, where they are subsequently crushed in size, utilizing jaws and conical crushers. Physical sizing is typically carried out during this stage to gather quantitative results on the size and distribution of stones. This task is crucial since ore preparations are the energy-intensive step in the process, and pausing because of backlogging (a material clog) could result in hours of stoppage for the entire operation. This is where computer vision steps in. Computer vision tech
Reducing CO2 emissions with the right asset management strategy
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that overcoming the twin challenges of climate change and the rising global energy demand will require the world to invest $48 trillion in infrastructure by 2035. Strategies for inspection and maintenance of assets are amongst key areas where operational optimization and productivity can be maximized and, in turn, support decarbonization targets. The overwhelming drive for businesses to be more sustainable and drive down C02 emissions is not just based on altruistic objectives; it's also good for business. Based on this ‘doing well, by making good’ approach, you'd be hard-pressed to come across an organization that doesn't have a ‘decarbonization roadmap’ as a priority. This is especially true for the industries contributing to energy, electricity, heat production, and industrial processes, which account for 56% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Maintaining assets to improve energy efficiency An asset’s lifecycle goes through the different maintenance, repair, and remanufacturing stages. Keeping assets operational and their products and components in use is the highest value, and, at all times, their embodied energy is preserved for longer. In addition, the need for new production and end-of-life treatment and the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions they release are reduced. Modeling this opportunity shows that global emissions could be reduced by 1.1 billion tonnes CO2e in 2050 by reducing the need for new raw materials like cement, steel, and aluminum. The first step in ensuring a decarbonization roadmap that considers your assets is to ensure that you can keep them operational and sustainable. An effective inspection strategy can achieve this by focusing on at least two objectives. Identify areas where energy efficiencies need to be optimized. The focus is that there is no unnecessary energy expenditure or consistent reduction in productive operational output. An asset operating while ‘leaking’ energy is one of the
Computer Vision or IoT - Picking the Right Technology
Computer vision has evolved rapidly in recent years due to improvements in Machine Learning, edge and cloud computing power, and visual hardware. For some, computer vision is classified as a subset of IoT, this blog highlights the increasing needs of enterprises and organizations and the impact computer vision has over traditional IoT devices, especially with current under supply of cellular IoT chips for data collection, analytics and decision. IoT is a collection of interconnected devices mainly using the internet to communicate and share data with each other. Though they have been around for years, IoT devices are typically designed and deployed for single-purpose applications. Dedicated IoT sensors are often deployed to provide static data collected for monitoring, specifically detecting pressure, counts, vibration, wind, and temperature. Today, approximately 20 billion devices are connected to the internet, estimated to exceed 30 billion by 2024^. Computer vision, however, is revolutionizing the way businesses operate. Organizations seek opportunities to drive down costs, improve operational efficiencies, uncover new revenue opportunities, and create safer and more productive work environments. With over 214 million IP cameras deployed in 2021, growing at 12%, companies are leveraging existing and new cameras for data extraction and collection. Today, in the US alone, the camera market is valued at US$28.02 billion (2021), expected to reach US$45.54 billion by 2027. Organizations are looking at computer vision to replace manual inspections and monitoring of video feeds and images to identify, detect, and measure at a scale that is impossible without AI today. In a world where companies with the most comprehensive data win the market, organizations seek to gather connected and granular data points for insight generation and data analytics. Will chip shortage impact IoTs? Most of the IoT devices that have cellular connectivity use cellular IoT chipsets. The globa
Customer Story: Back Burning Operations & Zero Latency Live Streaming
Back burning is a vital part of the work conducted by the fire service to ensure the safety of regions where extensive fuel may have built up. The operation itself can be dangerous due to the nature of the work. Setting off live fires is hazardous, and crews need to be on hand to monitor, control, and ultimately put out the controlled burn on the ground. Situational awareness is critical to ensure crews understand what is happening in real-time. This is where live video and aerial thermal imagery become invaluable tools. In December 2021, Drone service provider R2F utilized Unleashlive Autofly to support planned back-burning operations for State Emergency Services South Australia and the Department of Water, Energy, and Resources (DEWR) in South Australia. Utilizing zero-latency aerial thermal and RGB footage from Unleash live, the on-site crews could better understand the burn area and patterns and identify any possible hotspots outside of the set burn area. Connecting drones to Unleash live is fast, and R2F operators were able to quickly connect their flying crafts over 3/4G mobile networks (Note: Read about Unleash live support for Starlink), providing secure video streaming to their designated watch page. The Watch Page is a browser-based web page that broadcasts the live footage, enabling anyone with access to join the action on the flight. In preparation for the event, the R2F team created a unique QR code for the watch page and made it accessible via the mission briefing documents. This provided onsite crews to quickly gain access to the video and audio feed by simply using their phone or tablet. No software to download, no credentials, no complications. The application also allowed the operator to pinpoint the exact GPS coordinates of hotspots and areas of interest using the built-in Laser range finder to quickly and effectively deploy necessary ground crews. {% video_player "embed_player" overrideable=False, type='hsvideo2', hide_playlist=True, viral_sharin
Unleash live Secures ISO 27001 Certification
SYDNEY, Australia - Unleash live, one of the world’s leading AI video analytics platforms, announces that it has secured ISO 27001 Certification. This recognizes the importance of Unleash live in protecting our customer data at all times and helps us maintain our security culture. It demonstrates to our customers that our standards are consistent with global industry best practices. What is ISO 27001? Developed by the leading information security experts in the world, ISO 27001 regulates information security management within companies, ensuring that data is kept both available and protected. It specifies a formal system of controls known as the Information Security Management System (ISMS), which details precise requirements that are then audited to certify compliance by Unleash live. In particular, the standard requires the examination of Unleash live’s information security risks and drives us to design and implement safeguards to prevent such risks from occurring. We have then adopted a comprehensive management process to maintain these controls continuously. Achieving this certification means that we have an official testament that information security is of the utmost importance to Unleash live and that we handle and protect sensitive data with great care and confidentiality. It demonstrates that we are proactive in our attention to data security threats and employ best practices to minimize them. From the commencement of our engagement, it will also allow our future customers to rest assured that their security concerns are our security concerns. ISO 27001 requires ongoing annual audit activities to monitor compliance and ensure that, as Unleash live grows, we maintain and evolve our processes to address our customers’ needs and new threats in the security landscape. Why Unleash live has secured ISO 27001 Certification In addition to clearly demonstrating our commitment to information security: ISMS significantly reduces the likelihood of any security breach,
AWS Announces Unleash live as Energy Competency Launch Partner
SYDNEY, Australia - November 29th, 2021 – Unleash live, a leading AI video analytics platform, announced today that it has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Energy Competency status. This prestigious designation recognizes Unleash live's deep expertise in helping customers leverage AWS cloud technology to transform complex systems and accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy future. Achieving the AWS Energy Competency distinguishes Unleash live as an AWS Partner with proven technical proficiency within the energy industry. This includes demonstrated customer success in developing solutions across the value chain, from project planning and production operations to maintenance, optimization, and new energy solutions. AWS Partners must undergo a rigorous technical validation process, including a customer reference audit, to receive this designation. The AWS Energy Competency allows energy customers to more easily select skilled partners to help confidently accelerate their digital transformations. “Our customers in the Energy sector are realising the transformative impact of real time video analytics on their operations. And with the scale and security of AWS, this Competency status further establishes Unleash live as a leading player in video analytics and data insights. Unleash live is proud to achieve the AWS Energy Competency designation,” said Hanno Blankenstein, CEO and Co-founder. “Our team is dedicated to helping companies achieve their operational security and efficiency goals by leveraging the agility, breadth of services, and pace of innovation that AWS provides.” AWS enables scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solutions from startups to global enterprises. To support these solutions' seamless integration and deployment, AWS established the AWS Competency Program to help customers identify AWS Partners with deep industry experience and expertise. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance is a key part of the Unleash live offering f
Technology That’s Rescuing Emergency Response and Disaster Recovery
Natural Disasters Are Costing Taxpayers Dearly Disasters cost US taxpayers $742.1 billion from 2017 to 2021. In Australia, the cost is A$18.2 billion per year and is forecast to rise to A$73 billion per year by 2060. Even more frighteningly, this is based on a low-emissions scenario. Now more than ever, technology has an important role in scaling rescue operations and predictive analytics. These numbers, stated in a recent Deloitte report, show that the cost will be significantly higher by 2050 than what was reported for Australia in 2017. Additionally, floods and cyclones are expected to disproportionately take a substantial 45-65% of the economic costs, with remote and rural communities being the most affected. The backbone of modern civilization is supported by electricity grids, roads, railways, ports, airports, water, information, and communication technology, not to mention the maintenance of public services such as schools and hospitals. A disaster's impact on these not only quickly adds to the dollar cost of the crisis but also has a devastating and long-lasting impact on society as a whole. Response planning and teams are often hampered by challenges such as the complexity of the stakeholders and communication between them. The need for emergency response is to act at speed, but often, organizations rely on many legacy operating systems that lead to inefficient or incorrect use of high-cost resources. Furthermore, manual analysis of data can be crippling; technology that integrates analysis and decision-making in real-time should be used to simplify or remove these current challenges. Better, faster decisions lead to solutions in critical times Local and state authorities tend to be heavily invested in Esri's GIS software to better understand the context of the problem and the environment. This technology allows access to up-to-date information for disaster response and crisis teams, providing capabilities such as managing response with live feeds and senso
Customer Story - UAVs, 5G, and Powerline Analytics Brought to Life
Unleash live shows how 5G benefits are realized through powerline analytics for Endeavour Energy. Improving monitoring and fault inspection to drive down costs and improve operations. Just one example of how we’re transforming the way critical infrastructure is built and maintained. Powerful things happen when technologies and like-minded innovators merge to solve problems. Problems such as aging utility poles requiring constant maintenance, devastating bushfires started by faulty power lines and damage to assets on a large scale from flooding - all impacting millions of customers. Together with AWS’s secure and scalable infrastructure and Optus Telecommunications 5G network, Unleash live is providing the solution to monitor Endeavour Energy network with Autofly and real time AI Powerline. With Endeavour energy’s certified Drone pilots capturing high definition images from the field and apply AI to allow for a rapid analysis of the infrastructure and any potential faults or damage. Recently, media covered the successful project showcasing to Minister Fletcher, Australian Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts with a live demonstration of Unleash live’s Autofly. {% video_player "embed_player" overrideable=False, type='hsvideo2', hide_playlist=True, viral_sharing=False, embed_button=False, autoplay=False, hidden_controls=False, loop=False, muted=False, full_width=False, width='1920', height='1080', player_id='141843001730', style='' %} “This is great technology that's putting Australia right on the forefront…”- Hon Paul Fletcher, MP Key benefits: Now Endeavour Energy has a scalable low cost and high quality digital inspection team at their fingertips to better manage their vast network. Decrease the time to diagnose faults and increase frequency of inspections - Costly and potentially hazardous methods for inspecting are a thing of the past. Increase the quality of reporting and asset condition monitoring over time - A visual as
Transport Capacity Management for a Better Commuter Experience
Customer satisfaction is a shared goal for transportation operators and passengers alike. Timely, accurate, personalized, and consistent information about travel plans and current capacity is essential to a positive experience. Numerous studies underline the direct link between customer satisfaction and the availability of reliable data. However, fulfilling this need can be challenging, with obstacles that often seem insurmountable. Station officers, CIOs, and industry leaders in this space will attest to several persistent challenges: Data Dark Spots: Lack of technical solutions to provide accurate ridership distribution post-ticketing, creating information gaps. Inaccurate Proxy Data: Relying on proxy data for insights is prone to inaccuracies, and station staff reporting may not lead to a coordinated response. Data Disparities: Slow or disjointed data from disparate systems hinder efforts to provide consistent omni-channel customer information. Unplanned Events: Unforeseen outages or incidents disrupt network operations, and historical data for coordinated responses is often unavailable. Transport environments are inherently complex and unpredictable and require real-time monitoring across multiple locations to provide an accurate assessment. To achieve this, the following data sets are imperative: Precise Commuter Counting: Down to specific locations, entry/exit points, train doors, and more. Commuter Movement Profiles: Understanding how passengers move within transport hubs. Commuter Dwell Time: Monitoring how long passengers spend at various locations. Object Detection: Identifying objects in spaces where they shouldn't be. Social Distancing and Crowd Density Monitoring: Ensuring safety during crowded situations. Revenue Leakage Analysis: Determining ridership versus paying customers. To make sense of this data, rules must be applied to enable alerts, notifications, and trend analysis, providing valuable insights over time. Vision is our most powerful sense. H
Remote Intelligent Drone Inspections with Starlink
Connecting the Field to the Office with Starlink Unleash live’s goal has always been to connect the field to the office, enabling remote operations and drone asset inspections for faster, insight-led decisions. Across the world, many high-value assets such as mine sites, oil pipelines, distribution poles, solar farms, and wind farms lack reliable internet access. Traditional private LTE networks are costly to build and maintain. Starlink’s high-speed satellite broadband transforms remote monitoring by making connectivity available anywhere, enabling safer, more efficient, and scalable oversight of distributed assets. Remote Intelligent Vision and Starlink Connectivity In a world first, Unleash live connected and navigated drones in real time using Starlink. Live video streams were analysed through our secure cloud AI infrastructure to deliver connected inspections of critical assets without requiring personnel onsite. A drone was remotely flown over 200 km from Unleash live headquarters using the Autofly software. Two AI-Apps ran simultaneously: People Counting and Tracking and Power Line Fault Detection. Together, they demonstrated how live analytics can identify faults, monitor activity, and ensure safety, all from a central location. Starlink eliminates 4G and 5G coverage limitations. Once fully deployed, its low-latency, high-bandwidth network will deliver global connectivity, even for moving vehicles, unlocking continuous real-time monitoring across remote utility, mining, and energy sites. Real-Time Monitoring and Automated Fault Detection Using the Autofly Application, drone control was transferred entirely to our HQ team. The People Counting and Tracking model provided a live, high-resolution feed of personnel in the drone’s view, updating in real time. At the same time, the Power Line Fault Detection model analysed nearby distribution lines. Faults and components such as insulators were automatically identified, with results integrated into Fusion Atlas for
Real-Time Video Analytics for Power Line Safety
Background 21st September, Sydney, Australia: Unleash live announces energy sector collaboration with Optus, AWS, and Endeavour Energy, funded by the Australian Federal Government’s latest 5G innovation initiative. The collaboration will create a 5G solution for Australian electricity provider Endeavour Energy to improve the speed, efficiency, and safety of real-time fault inspections of its electricity grid. Endeavour Energy’s electricity distribution network spans 47,000km of power lines, 500,000 power poles, and 32,000 substations across Sydney’s Greater West, the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, the Illawarra, and the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. On-site inspections are currently conducted by Endeavour Energy’s team of engineers, utilizing a large fleet of vehicles, helicopters, and technicians to physically identify and carry out remediation. The collaboration will leverage a combination of 5G, cloud, artificial intelligence (A.I.), drone technology, and ultra-high definition (UHD) cameras to monitor in real-time the physical state of infrastructure assets on the electricity grid. The solution is designed to keep the electrical supply safe and reliable by identifying where preventative maintenance is needed to improve network safety and avoid costly and unplanned power outages. Transforming energy networks To read the full press release, head over to the Optus website. You can learn more about Unleash live’s offerings for the energy sector here, or read our case study for similar previous work with Horizon Power. Unleash live will leverage A.I. to analyze video content recorded with UHD cameras mounted on utility vehicles and drones, leveraging Optus’ 5G network, Australia's fastest 5G network. The solution is set to accelerate network remediation and improve worker safety by remotely alerting Endeavour Energy of faults or damaged equipment on the electricity network that could be difficult for humans to identify manually. Examples of the fault