Suicide cases in South Korea are high, according to South Korean government data in 2019 there were more than 13,700 people committed suicide.
And these 500 suicide attempts were reported to be located on 27 Han River bridges. In 2020, safety warnings about suicide attempts also jumped by around 30% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where everything is difficult, especially about the economy.
Efforts to prevent suicide on the bridge are considered difficult to identify. Because it could be that people on the bridge just want to enjoy the view, but worse, they could also want to commit suicide.
Therefore, researchers from the Seoul Institute of Technology and emergency services will use cameras embedded with Artificial intelligence (AI) technology to detect and prevent suicide attempts.
With the AI that has been developed, CCTV cameras can study the movement patterns of the human body by analyzing data from cameras and sensors. Then the AI will give a warning to the rescue team if there are signs of people wanting to commit suicide.
"We believe the new camera will allow our team to detect cases a little faster and help us get to calls faster," Kim Hyeong-gil, who is in charge of the Yeouido Water Rescue bridge, told us.
He also said that the sooner the camera detects it, the greater the chance of saving lives. And it will help us make calls faster.
The plan is to test the AI technology camera to be installed on a bridge in Seoul and test the system with Seoul Fire and Rescue this October.
