Hotel security has been at the forefront of the hospitality industry's to-do list following the Las Vegas massacre that left hundreds injured and more than 50 dead.
A new technology being tested in Las Vegas could increase security without annoying or distressing guests.
Canadian security company PatriotOne has created a small device called the 'Patscan Cognitive Microwave Radar' that can be hidden in existing hotel infrastructure such as walls and doorways and uses machine learning and short-range radar to detect weapons such as guns, knives and bombs, Wired reports.
#Patriot1Technologies $PAT.CA @iancassel #Podcast with CEO Martin Cronin on anti-terror Cognitive Microwave Radar" https://t.co/pHQIgDmHHY pic.twitter.com/wq4DhbL2YL
— James West (@MidasLetter) October 6, 2016
Patscan works by using a service box and two antennae, one of which emits 1,000 pulses of electromagnetic radiation per second at frequencies that range between 500 MHz and 5 GHz — the same frequency as a microwave. This ensures Patscan remains undetected and will not interfere with devices like cell phones. The downside of this technology is that its range is only about 2 meters (or 6.56 feet).
If certain items, such as a pistol, grenade, rifle, machete or machine gun, are hit with electromagnetic radiation they resonate at specific frequencies that are picked up by the second antenna. Patscan then alerts security that something has been found.
The technology prevents people from having to walk through something like a metal detector, while still maintaining visitor safety.
The surveillance tactic is being tested at Westgate Las Vegas, which was the first casino to feature a Y-shaped layout meant to funnel visitors past slot machines and card tables. These designs now pose a serious security challenge because they leave visitors highly concentrated in certain areas.
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