A thief stole a bicycle on my porch and we have CCTV cameras installed. However, witnesses couldn’t recall the exact time, leaving us with three full days of footage to review. Watching it manually was impractical, especially since the mobile app couldn’t fast-forward remotely as it was not on the same LAN as the DVR.
We downloaded all 65 video files from the DVR, but even that was daunting. That’s when I turned to AI.
Using AI to Solve the Problem
I asked ChatGPT to write a Python script to detect bicycles in the footage.
The script worked immediately, but after some testing, I adjusted it to detect people instead—making it faster and more efficient.
It saved only frames with detected persons, reducing hours of video to just the important clips.
Tools and Setup
I ran the script on an Ubuntu machine with an NVIDIA RTX 4070 ti super GPU, which processed the footage quickly. What would have taken days was done in almost 3 to 4 hours.
The Moment of Truth
Reviewing the condensed clips, I finally found the thief on camera, riding away with the bicycle.
What do you think is the proper way to bring justice?
It’s really impressive how AI can cut down so much time. I wonder if there are other ways to improve the script’s accuracy when detecting people or objects in such complex footage?
Having some issues so trying to get a contact with iplwincontact. Hopefully, they’re able to help. Will updated when I hear back.
This is a clever use of AI! I’m impressed how you adapted the script from detecting bicycles to people to speed things up. It’s amazing that it cut down days of footage to just the key clips. Great problem-solving!
I didn’t think of switching to person detection—smart move for speed. I’m going to try a lightweight model on my NAS to auto-export clips and send alerts. For justice, I’d provide the condensed footage and exact timestamps to the police and nearby neighbors.
Wow, using AI for something like that is both fascinating and a little unsettling. I vacationed in Flic-en-Flac a few years ago and can totally picture the scenario. Makes you think about the balance between safety and privacy, even in paradise.
Wow, using AI for something like that is both impressive and a little unsettling. It really makes you think about the balance between security and privacy, even in a small community. Great read.