AI system helps prevent suicides at Japan’s stations, facilities
Around 40 train stations and commercial buildings in Japan have adopted an artificial intelligence system designed to prevent suicides, which has already saved at least two lives, according to its developer, Kyodo reported.
Tokyo-based Asilla Inc. created the technology to analyze security camera footage and identify behaviors that may signal suicidal intent, such as pacing or lingering near the edge of a platform or rooftop. When such signs are detected, the system alerts staff or security guards, and in some cases issues warnings through loudspeakers.
In one case, a man was spotted in a restricted area of a commercial facility. A guard approached him, and the man later admitted he had planned to jump to his death. In another incident, a child was found spending an unusual amount of time near a railing on an upper floor; a guard discovered the child had been writing a suicide note.
Since 2022, Asilla has collaborated with about 200 facilities to train its AI on seven million video clips, enabling it to detect not only suicidal behavior but also signs of illness, immobility, and violence. The system is now in use at roughly 30 commercial facilities and 10 train stations in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture.
Earlier, it was reported that researchers in Japan had developed a Wi-Fi receiver chip capable of operating in extremely high radiation environments.
