According to a news release, the city awarded a $1.58-million contract to SenSen Networks, an Australian AI company that makes both hardware and software for analyzing occupancy or traffic, for instance at shopping centers, casino tables or parking structures. In the case of Las Vegas, starting this year, SenSen will deploy two pieces of hardware and 80 access keys to mobile software for automated parking and traffic enforcement.
As described on the company’s website, the hardware consists of a pair of SenFORCE units, each of which are basically a hub of sensors that can be programmed with all the city’s zones and parking rules, then affixed to the roof of vehicles. When a city staff member drives around with one of these, it will sense and flag any infringements with considerable detail, including not only improperly parked cars but other problems such as illegal dumping, abandoned bikes or Ubers in the wrong waiting zone. Having detected an infringement, it captures license plate information and sends the information to enforcement officers.
On the mobile software side, Las Vegas will get access to the cloud-based, AI-powered smartphone app Gemineye on 80 devices. The app detects the same things as the SenFORCE units, but because it works with a smartphone camera, it can be carried not only by vehicles but Segways, scooters and officers on foot.
In a public statement, SenSen CEO Subhash Challa mentioned the mutual benefit of Las Vegas reducing traffic congestion and more efficiently managing its parking, while the company stands to get a foothold in a major U.S. market.
“This is a major milestone for our business in the U.S.,” he said. “We expect operations will continue to grow as more and more forward-thinking cities seek smart city intelligent transportation solutions.”
Although SenSen has a collaborative agreement with Chicago Parking Meters LLC to help manage parking spaces in Chicago, the news release said SenSen’s contract with Las Vegas is a major step for the company into the U.S. government market. It marks the first commercial rollout of SenSen’s technology with a flagship U.S. city customer, and its largest commercial implementation with a single customer to date.
For Las Vegas, SenSen is the latest of many partners on its mission to become a fully connected “smart city” by 2025, according to the city’s website. Besides being the home of the Consumer Electronics Show, which unveils the latest in transportation tech every year, Las Vegas is piloting an innovation district and won a Smart Cities Readiness Challenge grant in 2018.
