Watch CBS News

Archbishop Wood High School Becomes First Place In World To Install AI Security Camera

Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook  | Twitter

WARMINSTER, Pa. (CBS) -- School shootings continue to be a horrifying problem in our country. Suggestions to stop them range from restricting gun access to arming teachers, but a Bucks County school is turning to new technology to keep students safe.

Inside Archbishop Wood High School, in Warminster, there is an added layer of security as it has become the first place in the world to install an AI security camera.

"When he came to me with this, I said, 'This is a great idea, let's takes a look at it,' and it overlays with an app into our system," said Gary Zimmaro, the school's president.

WATCH: Brawl At Walmart Caught On Camera

Chris Ciabarra -- the son of a longtime Archbishop Wood teacher -- and Lisa Falzone created Athena Security, an idea aimed at preventing school shootings.

"There have been a lot of advancements in artificial intelligence and so basically what we do is use object and motion detection to recognize when someone pulls out a gun and alert on that," said Lisa Falzone, the CEO and co-founder of Athena.

This technology works by picking up the image of the gun when it's presented. A video recording of the incident would be sent to police or administration in three seconds.

In situations where seconds count, the Athena software detects any kind of firearm in view and can be installed in existing security systems.

"So not just recording crime but proactively preventing crime," Falzone said.

Woman Says Stranger Tried To Kidnap Her Baby At Target

It's the first school in the country to utilize this technology. Its now been in place at Archbishop Wood for a month.

"This is just another layer it's more being proactive than reactive I hope we never have to use it," said Zimmaro.

Athena's next venture in artificial intelligence? Software that uses radar to detect concealed weapons.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.