Motorsport UK has introduced an innovative safety tool to UK rallying with the introduction of the Artificial Intelligence Safety Camera (AISC), secured with an FIA grant following a successful trial in the European Rally Championship.
This exciting new technological development will greatly enhance safety on rallies by providing accurate monitoring of live stages. Five cameras were deployed at the Severn Valley Stages last month and following the success of the initial trial, they will be used at all British Rally Championship rounds this year, including this weekend’s Jim Clark Rally.
The cameras are mounted to competitor cars and monitors safety on live stages, including spectator movements. The camera’s AI module detects potential safety breaches, delivering still images to rally control, who can then communicate instructions to marshals.
By monitoring live stages, the AISC enhances the Stage Rally Safety Requirements by maintaining the work of the Safety Car Convoy once the first competing car has departed the start line. In doing so it provides additional observation to complement the marshals and radio operators, helping them to carry out their roles successfully.
Motorsport UK Head of Rallying, Jonathan Jackson said: “Initial testing at the Severn Valley Stages proved to be highly encouraging for rally control which has already been impressed by the impact of the imagery already provided. With the ability to ask marshals to move spectators deemed to be in an unsafe place, we were able to successfully pause a stage to prevent a potential safety issue from escalating. This is game-changing technology and it’s going to be exciting to see how it develops throughout the year.”
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