An AI weapons detection system will be tested at Camden Yards

Oriole Park at Camden Yards will become the first baseball stadium to test a new weapons detection technology that uses artificial intelligence and low-power radar.

The imaging technology, called HEXWAVE, will be beta tested in a section of the Orioles’ home stadium next year.

HEXWAVE is being commercialized by Liberty Defense Holdings, a Frankfurt, Germany-based company, with initial development taking place at the company’s laboratory in Atlanta. Initially, it was developed at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory.

The system is designed to be installed at the perimeter of a building to detect threats before a person enters.

Here’s how a spokesperson for the company described how it works in an email to Technical.ly:

“HEXWAVE uses low power radio frequency signals to capture information about what people are carrying on their bodies. The reflected signals are used to create 3D images of what the person is carrying in real-time. These images are then analyzed by artificial intelligence, deep learning, neural networks to detect and identify weapons or other prohibited items through clothing and hand-held baggage such as backpacks, and handbags. It is able to detect both metallic and non-metallic weapons in real-time and can be used overtly or covertly. It can also be used both indoors and outdoors.”

The technology does not use facial recognition, nor does it collect personally identifiable information. If a threat is detected, the image is then shown to a security guard, with an interface that shows the type of item and location on a person’s body. This can lead to a secondary screening by a guard. The system is also designed to send the images to other security devices or a command center.

“It’s important for us to ensure not only a great experience for our guests, but also a safe and secure experience as well,” said Vernon J. Conaway, Jr., VP of safety and security at the Maryland Stadium Authority, which oversees Camden Yards. “HEXWAVE is an exciting new innovation that provides an answer to the security challenges we face today. We are pleased to be able to test this exciting new technology at our property.”

Per the company, the technology is also being tested at FC Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena in Germany, Rogers Arena in Vancouver Canada, in some Florida shopping centers and in a Hindu temple.