To the naked eye, it looks like any ordinary camouflage coat, but to AI security cameras, it’s an invisibility cloak that effectively hides the person wearing it.
During the day, the coat’s camouflage patterns, designed using an algorithm, escape detection by visible light cameras. At night, when security cameras typically identify humans using infrared thermal imaging, thermal devices built into the coat emit different temperatures, presenting an unusual heat pattern that allows the coat to remain unnoticed.
Developed by four graduate students at the Wuhan University of China, the InvisDefense Jacket was one of the projects that achieved first prize in the “Huawei Cup”an inaugural cybersecurity innovation competition backed by Chinese tech giant Huawei.
When students tested the coat on campus security cameras, accuracy in detecting humans was reduced by 57%.
The researchers say that one of the main difficulties in the development of the coat was finding the balance between tricking the camera and the human eye.
“We had to use an algorithm to project an image that was as inconspicuous as possible, making the camera view ineffective”explained one of the creators.
According to Wei, the team’s future research plans include making other objects “invisible” to AI cameras, such as inanimate objects and moving cars. They are also studying how to bypass other types of cameras, such as those using remote sensors, satellites or aircraft.
The InvisDefense coat will retail for around 500 yuan (70 euros).
