LiDAR Delivers Security And Intelligence To Casinos With No Privacy Concerns

Casinos offer several attractive applications for LiDAR, including security and business intelligence. Using laser sensors, the technology can replace the use of surveillance cameras.

For casino security, LiDAR can track player movement and provides complete coverage and accuracy that have not been achievable by surveillance cameras. Massive coverage areas can save on costs of sensor deployment versus other technologies.

LiDAR and its applications

LiDAR is a method for determining ranges by targeting an object with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. LiDAR sensors emit pulsed light waves into a surrounding environment, and the pulses bounce off surrounding objects and return to the sensor. The sensor uses the time it took for each pulse to return to the sensor to calculate the distance it traveled.

LiDAR is commonly used in markets such as robotics, terrestrial mapping, autonomous vehicles, and Industrial IoT (Internet of Things). Today, casinos offer a lucrative emerging market for technology.

LiDAR tracking enables casino operators to understand the guest path, journey, queue time, count

Crowd management

LiDAR can contribute to a casino’s guest experience by counting people at doors or in sections of the gaming floor to provide intelligence about crowd size to track occupancy.

LiDAR tracking enables casino operators to understand the guest path, journey, queue time, count, and other statistical information by comparing previous time frames to current occupancy levels. This approach allows them to understand digital media advertisement and experience placement.

Aid in advertisement

“Inside a casino, sensors are deployed like surveillance cameras,” says Gerald Becker, VP of Market Development & Alliances, Quanergy.

“But instead of security, they are used to provide anonymous tracking of all people walking through the gaming floor. We can get centimeter-level accuracy of location, direction, and speed of the guests. With this data, we can access the guest journey from the path, dwell count, and several other analytics that provides intelligence to operations and marketing to make better decisions on product placement or advertisement.”

Quanergy

Quanergy is a U.S.-based company that manufactures its hardware in the USA and develops its 3D perception software in-house. Quanergy has various integrations to third-party technology platforms such as video management systems (VMSs) in security and analytics for operational and business intelligence.

Perimeter security

Sensors can be mounted to a hotel to monitor for potential objects being thrown off the hotel LiDAR is deployed in both exterior and interior applications. For the exterior of a casino or resort, sensors can be mounted to a hotel to monitor for potential objects being thrown off the hotel, or people in areas where they should not be.

For example, they can sense and prevent entrance to rooftops or private areas that are not open to the public. Some clients install sensors throughout the perimeter of private property to safeguard executives and/or a VIP’s place of residence.

Flow tracking and queuing capabilities

Tracking crowd size can initiate digital signage or other digital experiences throughout the property to route guests to other destinations at the property. It can also help with queue analysis at the reservation/check-in desk or other areas where guests line up to tell operations to open another line to maintain the flow of guests passing. 

Flow tracking and queuing capabilities help casino operators to understand which games groups of customers frequent and allow for the optimization of customer routing for increased interaction and playtime on the casino floor, quickly impacting the financial performance and return of the casino.

No privacy concerns 

LiDAR provides a point cloud; its millions of little points in a 3D space create the silhouettes of moving or fixed objects

The main hurdle right now is market adoption. LiDAR is an emerging technology that is not so widely known for these new use cases, says Becker. “It will take a little bit of time to educate the market on the vast capabilities that can now be realized in 3D beyond traditional IoT sensors that are available now,” he comments.

One benefit of LiDAR is that it poses no risk of personally identifiable information (PII) and therefore no privacy concerns. No PII is captured with the technology. Cameras can capture images and transmit them over the network to other applications. However, LiDAR provides a point cloud; its millions of little points in a 3D space create the silhouettes of moving or fixed objects.

IoT security strategy

There is a lot of interest from surveillance and security to include marketing and operations, says Becker. “LiDAR will become a part of the IoT security strategy for countless casinos soon. It will be common practice to see LiDAR sensors deployed to augment existing security systems and provide more coverage.”

Also, the intelligence gained with the accuracy of tracking guests anonymously provides peace of mind to the visitors that they are not being singled out or uniquely tracked but provides valuable data to the casinos that they have not been able to capture before. “This will help them maximize their operations and strategy for years to come,” says Becker.