CANTON, Ohio — Aultman Hospital is now using AI technology to help keep weapons and other potential mass casualty threats out of the hospital.
Evolv Technology has developed hardware and software that is capable of weeding out everyday metal clusters like cell phone earrings and belt buckles to quickly identify weapons like guns, knives, and bombs.
Aultman Hospital recently installed this screening tool to increase patient and staff safety, but also to make the whole security screening process more comfortable for patients and families.
The screening tool is simple, people walk through two towers that look very similar to anti-theft devices. Once passing through, Artificial Intelligence does its work to screen people without any friction. Video-enhanced AI then allows security teams to identify the person who has been identified as a threat. This is possible through AI being capable of differentiating various metal compositions and densities. AI then paints a three-dimensional box on the person walking through the device in a video image that identifies where it believes it may have found a weapon signature.
“Many times, especially in an ED, we want people to make their way from their car to the triage desk, unencumbered,” said Jason Grellner, Vice President of Healthcare Evolv Technologies. “We don't want them to feel like they have to stand in a line when minutes or seconds may even count in getting into an emergency department.”
Aultman Hospital officials told New 5 they were not interested in doing an on-camera interview about the new technology but sent a statement saying quote:
“At Aultman, the safety of our patients, visitors and staff is our highest priority. That's why we implement and utilize many sophisticated systems throughout our facilities. And, as a healthcare leader in our community, we're always exploring opportunities for the latest technologies that can benefit our patients. By providing accurate, effective, non-intrusive screening, we are better able to ensure a safe, comfortable environment for our patients to receive the care they need in a healing environment.”
“We want to make sure that when you enter a hospital that the staff there is 100% focused on your care and they're not focused on whether or not the next person through the door is going to take out a gun and start shooting people,” Grellner said.
There are no loud alarms, no bells, and whistles the security team identifies if a person has a weapon and takes action from there. It's a very swift process. Evolv Technologies says it's in many schools and stadiums currently, but it's now in over 250 hospitals across the nation, including in Canton, and wants to keep that number growing.
