- The following is content from the press release -
(Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takeshin Kono; hereinafter "VACAN"), a company that provides services to "eliminate waiting" by utilizing AI and IoT, has developed "VACAN PatoKids (beta version)," a service to help prevent buses from being left behind. Through demonstration tests, the company will continue to update the functionality of the service to make it easier for kindergartens and nursery schools to use.
Background and Objectives
On the 5th of this month, a 3-year-old girl was left on a bus at a certified childcare center in Makinohara City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and died of heat stroke. In response to this accident, the government is now taking the lead in formulating a manual to prevent a reoccurrence. On the other hand, there is a limit to how much we can rely solely on human attention to prevent accidents, especially when the workload of employees at facilities is increasing due to measures such as the Corona countermeasure. In fact, after a similar accident in Fukuoka last July, the local government contacted all facilities to request thorough safety management of shuttle buses, but the accident occurred again this month.
Against this backdrop, it is important to have a system that utilizes technology to protect children's safety while staying close to the reality of facilities such as kindergartens. In the U.S. and South Korea, where buses are widely used, technology-based prevention measures that do not rely solely on people are already in use.
In order to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future, we have developed the "VACAN PatoKids (beta version)" (hereinafter referred to as "PatoKids"), a bus abandonment prevention support service, utilizing our proprietary technology that detects and distributes the vacancy status of all places, including restaurants, restrooms, polling places, and tourist attractions.https://corp.vacan.com/column/patokids.html) developed by the company.
■VACAN PatoKids, a support service to help prevent buses from being left behind
PatoKids" is a service that helps drivers prevent being left behind by simply retrofitting a tablet without complicated wiring or installation of sensors.
By combining tablets installed inside buses and AI-based image analysis, the system prevents left-behind cases without relying on human attention. In this way, we aim to support child safety using technology with as little burden as possible on daily operations.
(How the service works)
When the engine is turned off and a certain amount of time has elapsed, an alert sounds from a tablet installed in the bus, and the bus does not stop until the driver reads the QR code attached to the rear of the bus with his/her smartphone.
Even after the alarm is turned off, a tablet is used to continue analyzing images of the vehicle interior, and if a person is still seen after a certain period of time, a notification is sent to the manager. This double-checking by both human eyes and technology (AI and cameras) is expected to further reduce the risk of left behind children. In addition, not only the driver but also the park administrator can check the images inside the vehicle, thereby reducing the risk of child abandonment by the power of the organization rather than by the individual.
(PatoKids Features)
- Easy installation
⇒No need for sensors or complicated wiring, just install a retrofitted tablet to introduce the service! - Double-checking mechanisms to reduce risk
⇒By using AI-based image analysis in combination, it is possible to double-check not only with the human eye, but also with technology. This will enable a system that is easy to detect even in the unlikely event that something is missed by the human eye. - Functions that facilitate accident prevention throughout the organization
⇒Because images taken inside the vehicle can be checked not only by the driver but also by park management, it is easier to prevent accidents as an organization and not just as a problem for the driver.
This time, Bakan's proprietary "vCore" technology, which converts data from all kinds of sensors, cameras, and other devices into easy-to-understand information on availability and congestion, was utilized to enable rapid development. In the future, Bakan will continue to improve and implement functions and mechanisms to protect children's safety by utilizing the knowledge gained through the demonstration experiment in cooperation with other companies and organizations as well as Bakan itself.
■About Bakan Corporation
Company name: Bakan Co.
Representative: Kono Goshin
Location: Sumitomo Fudosan Nagatacho Building 2F, 2-17-3 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Established: June 2016
URL:https://corp.vacan.com/
Bakan is a J-Startup 2019 company, a public-private support program selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) that uses IoT and AI to detect vacancies in restaurant districts, cafes, restrooms, tourist spots, evacuation centers, polling places, and other locations, and distribute the information to digital signage and smartphones. In addition to visualization of vacancies, the company also manages and controls congestion, providing a wide range of DX services that "eliminate waiting" based on vacancy/congestion information.
Many companies and individuals have announced their countermeasure services for accidents involving children left behind on school buses. BabyTech.jp will introduce each product and service, and will prepare a summary page at a later date to allow for comparison.
Let's take a look at the details from the press release.