14 DAY TRIAL // Surveillance cameras are by far the worst nightmares for those drivers who are simply crazy in love with speed. The main reasons for this is the fact that said devices can be installed just about anywhere, are very difficult to spot by normal radar detectors and they record the driver's speed exactly when he/she least expects it. And things are about to get even worse, as the Appian company (yes, the folks that provide most of the surveillance equipment around the UK) has just released its Stinger Intelligent Automatic Number Plate Recognition Camera, a device that not only reads license plates, but it also contacts the police in emergency situations.
Thus, the Stinger Intelligent Automatic Number Plate Recognition Camera sports not only cameras, but also an illuminator and processor, all fully integrated in a single sealed unit. The main purpose of this whole system is to recognize vehicle license plates, compare the results to a list stored on the Stinger's built-in HDD and then, should the situation require it, send the results to the police via one of its integral communication interfaces (GSM/GPRS or 3G, 802.911g WLAN and 100Mbps Ethernet).
The core of the whole Stinger unit is the processor element, which takes imagery from the camera and runs the plate recognition processes (neural network Talon ANPR software is used as standard). However, this "processor" is no mere CPU, but rather a powerful mini computer specifically developed for military image processing applications. Thus, it features a 20 GB HDD, runs an unnamed Windows OS and can be remotely controlled in real time, but it can also connect to various web-based services, and is "smart" enough to control up to 4 separate video inputs, which means that secondary cameras and other sensors (speed sensors, for example) can be connected to it.
Moreover, the Stinger Intelligent Automatic Number Plate Recognition Camera can operate in harsh environmental conditions including extreme temperature fluctuations and also provides a few interesting extras, as for example the optical zoom that can be optimized to suit differing plate and environmental conditions.
The Appian company doesn't provide any relevant pricing information related to the Stinger camera, but it's sure to hit street corners soon enough, which will bring about a world of trouble for drivers.
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