Designing a Connected Building in our Bosch Singapore Lab: the Experience Center

When visitors enter a building, they would typically have to go through a visitor management/access control system. Our intelligent building solution makes use of touchless access where our highly accurate and sensitive Bosch video camera captures the facial details of a visitor, matches it against pre-enrolled facial credentials and the gantry automatically opens for an authorised visitor or staff. The system can be deployed as a standalone system to facilitate seamless and secure visitor access, or it can be used to complement traditional card-based systems for added security.

Behind the efficient system lies our high-quality Bosch video camera. It is important for the camera to be able to handle variations in day and night lighting as well as back-light situations. Furthermore, the software algorithm for facial recognition, needs to be able to take into consideration variations such as the wearing of glasses, scarves or other coverings which may partially obscure the face.

For many visitors, the car park is their first point of contact with a building. One of our intelligent solutions makes use of standardized, built-in Video Analytics in our IP Video Security Cameras to recognize and count empty lots in an open-air car park.

Running analytics off just one or two cameras substantially reduces costs since it eliminates the need to embed sensors in each parking lot, and the smart camera fulfills other video security duties (unlike single-function sensors). On ground level, our cameras are also able to recognize license plate numbers of the cars that are illegally or wrongly parked. They are then able to “take action” once they detect a violation and notify where something is wrong to the facility managers.

Furthermore, as our technology collects the historical parking trends it becomes more and more capable of predicting future trends as well. This will help management know when the parking lots will go through low and high seasons to plan an appropriately sized work force.

As buildings get taller, safely evacuating tenants in the case of an emergency becomes more challenging. What if a fire breaks out on the 23rd floor of a high rise? Our integrated fire alarm and public address systems can target announcements to the affected floor, those directly above, and those below to evacuate; our access control system opens relevant doors to allow for smooth evacuation of the building. Meanwhile, these systems make a different announcement to the remaining floors to avoid a stampede. Our cameras intelligently monitor crowd formations and help facility managers guide people out through alternative exits if one is too congested.

Machine Learning "teaches" Bosch IP video cameras to recognize predetermined objects and specific scenes or situations. They feature on-board Intelligent Video Analytics, combine forces with our Camera Trainer, and apply rules to determine black-listed objects within a certain zone. The cameras are integrated with the public address system; when they detect a violation, targeted announcements are sent only to the affected zone to deliver an appropriate response.

Today, people communicate with intelligent, connected devices using conversational language. Our Bosch Assist program allows users to text Bosch Video Cameras through WhatsApp, Line, and Facebook. What does this mean? Well, for building owners and facility managers, this provides them greater insights into space utilization and crowdedness to help with better manpower allocation in terms of cleaners, security, and other personnel. For building users, the ability to communicate with assets/sensors in the building can help them better decide when to use facilities based on availability. With the help of cameras and sensors, building users and facility managers get real-time feedback and alerts that help them make better, more informed, and more timely decisions.