Las Vegas has a new trick to keep people safe: AI-controlled lights

Las Vegas is testing an AI-powered lighting system designed to make crosswalks safer and pedestrians more visible to drivers.

The first installation is at First Street and Ogden Avenue, near major attractions including Circa, Binion’s and the California Hotel & Casino.

The intersection is also just steps from the Fremont Street Experience, an open-air, neon-lit entertainment hub, which draws more than 24 million visitors a year, according to Intelligent Security Systems, the company that developed the technology.

The SecurOS Soffit system detects pedestrians entering a crosswalk and uses LED lights to follow them across. The targeted lighting is designed to make them more visible to drivers without glare or unnecessary light pollution, according to a news release. It also provides standard lighting when no one is crossing.

More than 70 American towns have rolled out the tech, according to the security systems company.

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The new system arrives as Las Vegas moves forward with a plan to use advanced signal technology at 16 intersections in and around Fremont Street.

The city announced the project in February, saying the technology would use AI to better detect pedestrians and improve safety at the busy crossings.

“It can tell by your eye movement if your plan is to cross the street,” Erin Breen, director of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Vulnerable Road Users Project, told Fox 5 Las Vegas at the time.

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The city received $1.4 million from the Federal Highway Administration for the project, which was expected to begin later this year. Once all 16 intersections are equipped, the pilot program will run for two years.

“If it works, then we’ll implement it citywide,” Mayor Shelley Berkeley said at a press conference around the time of the announcement, Fox 5 reported. “If it doesn’t work, then we go back to hitting the button.”

“Sometimes the old ways work better, but we’ll see what happens,” Berkeley added.

The Independent has contacted ISS and the City of Las Vegas for comment.