China equips traffic police with artificial intelligence glasses

Traffic police typically rely on wireless, hand-held scanners and a large volume of checks to keep traffic flowing. However, in the Chinese city of Changsha, the nature of this mission is undergoing a radical change.

Local traffic officers are now using AI-powered smart glasses to identify cars and extract details about drivers within seconds.

According to the official announcement of Changsha traffic police, the municipality’s public traffic management unit has equipped its officers with new artificial intelligence glasses.

This device is light in weight and from a distance it looks like a regular pair of glasses. However, its main feature is to display car information at a glance within 1-2 seconds. Officers can view details on the internal display without having to stop moving.

These glasses are equipped with a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera and an image stabilization algorithm designed to maintain image clarity even when officers are on the move or operating in heavy traffic. With a full charge, these devices can work continuously for up to 8 hours.

One of the most important features of these glasses is automatic license plate recognition. This system works offline, has more than 99% accuracy and provides results in less than 1 second. It is also designed to have stable and reliable performance in different light conditions, from intense daylight to night traffic.

After identifying the vehicle, Aynak instantly connects to the public safety traffic database and retrieves information such as vehicle registration details, MOT status and violation records.

The use of these glasses goes beyond car tracking. The equipment also supports facial recognition, simultaneous voice translation in more than 10 languages, and field video recording for law enforcement purposes.

Thanks to this system, the inspection time for a crossing line has reportedly been reduced from around 30 seconds to just 1 or 2 seconds. The technology also reduces manual work, reduces the psychological strain on officers, enables law enforcement without direct contact, and helps make roadside checks safer and more accurate.