Seoul leveraging AI to detect challenging behaviour of people with developmental disabilities
An AI-based behavior analysis technology is currently being trialled in Seoul to detect and prevent challenging behavior in people with developmental disabilities.
SK Telecom (SKT), the telecommunications arm of one of South Korea’s largest family conglomerates SK Group, has collaborated with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to initiate the said process at the Jongno Lifelong Education Center for the Developmentally Disabled.
CCTV cameras equipped with vision AI technology from SKT have been installed at the center to detect and analyze patterns of challenging behaviour, including kicking, punching, pushing and pulling, falling, hitting the head (self-harm), lying down, running, wandering, and jumping.
WHY IT MATTERS
According to the Seoul government, approximately 36,000 people with developmental disabilities currently live in the city, accounting for nearly a tenth of the total disabled population. They are often individuals with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, Down syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Often these people communicate their dissatisfaction through behavior that can harm and trouble themselves and others. It remains a challenge to monitor them 24 hours a day and record in detail how and when they exhibit such challenging behavior.
According to SKT, a healthcare system that can analyze the causes of such behavior and quickly respond and provide assistance in such scenarios is imperative for a stress-free life for people with developmental disabilities and their families.
This is why the Seoul government is promoting the application of SKT’s vision AI, the data and results of which are expected to guide the creation of a data-based social intervention plan and solutions. This achieves one of the many goals of the national government’s Comprehensive Plan for Lifelong Care for People with Developmental Disabilities, first announced in 2018.
Later, SKT plans to expand the scope of its surveillance system to detect and respond to challenging behavior from children and the elderly in real time.
THE BIG TREND
SKT developed its vision of AI technology in 2021 together with Seoul National University Hospital. The same technology also runs its pilot for the early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in infants and young children, which was established earlier in April.
SK Telecom has also collaborated with the Catholic University of Korea Catholic Medical Center to develop full-stack medical AI solutions, including an emergency response solution that uses vision AI to prevent accidents in psychiatric wards.
Meanwhile, the South Korean government also used CCTV cameras last year to trial an AI-powered facial recognition system tracking people infected with COVID-19.