Trial underway for car clearance at checkpoints to go high-tech
11 Dec 2017|1,525 views
A trial of automated car clearance using robotic arms, biometric scanners and facial detection technology is underway at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints as the authorities aim to maximise manpower and beef up security at border controls. They are conducting an internal test of the automated passenger in-car clearance system (Apics), which uses these technologies. They say if the test is successful, Singapore could be the first country in the world to implement Apics.
During a media tour last Thursday (8th December), officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) who developed the prototype showed reporters how the future of automated clearance can look like. With Apics, drivers have to step out of their cars to manually scan the passports of all passengers when they reach customs, similar to the self-check-in kiosks at airports.
Officers will be stationed near the kiosks to check the vehicle's cargo and to count the number of passengers to make sure it tallies with the number of passports. Once the checks are completed, the car will be allowed to move into an automated immigration clearance zone. In this zone, scanners with robotic arms, positioned on both sides of a vehicle, will locate the position of the car windows.
Once they have done so, the robotic arms - each holding a wireless device with touchscreen that shows the passengers' passport details - will stretch towards the windows. The passengers will choose their passport profile on the device, scan their thumbprints and take a selfie. They can pull the robotic arm towards them to remove the device from its cradle and use it in the car. They can also use the intercom located on the cradle to speak to officers if they face any problem.
Officers will help passengers who have difficulties using the devices and children whose thumbprints are not fully formed yet. If the passengers open the car doors in this zone, the scanners will detect the opening and retract the robotic arms for safety. Officers will also be alerted. Once the passengers complete the checks and return the devices to the robotic arms, the car is deemed to be cleared to move on.
Mr. Cheng Wee Kiang, Senior Assistant Director at the MHA's Office of the Chief Science and Technology Officer, said that his team is working to improve the system to make it as automated as possible. The success of the prototype will be judged by its ability to optimise manpower and to provide users with a seamless experience, Mr. Cheng said. "There will be exception cases. There are restrictions and challenges to biometrics technologies that we cannot resolve at this current juncture," he added.
In the trial, one passport-scanning kiosk is attached to each automated clearance zone. When the system is rolled out, one kiosk might serve several zones. This will free up manpower so that officers can focus on checking travellers with higher risks, Mr. Cheng said. So far, the trial - which takes up one lane at each of the two checkpoints - has been promising, he added. Currently, officers who are not involved in Apics are testing the new system and they have found it refreshing. "This is a new idea, a new concept," he said.
Based on their feedback, Mr. Cheng's team has been making changes to the prototypes - one located at each checkpoint. For example, they have included red and green LED lights in the automated clearance zone to signal to drivers if they are good to go, or if there is a problem. They have also improved on the robot cradle so that passengers could pull it towards them for better reach. More visual cues and infographics will be used instead of text so as to improve the user's experience, said Mr Cheng.
Apics will aim to clear 25 cars per hour, a specification spelt out in its tender documents in 2015. This target, however, acts more as a guide, barring no exceptional cases that range from contraband items to higher-risk travellers. Inspector Muhammad Syazwan, a Ground Operations Officer at Woodlands Checkpoint, said that security is the ICA's top priority in this current security climate.
Mr. Cheng expects delays to happen when the system is first rolled out to the public. "As with new technologies, it takes a bit of time to get used to it, as with automated clearances at the airport. Once you get used to it, it is like second nature," he said. For now, the trial is scheduled to end by mid-2018 but the timeline is subjected to the amount of data collected. "It is the first time that we are developing such a system so we do not have a lot of references. So we are still exploring... and trying to cover as much as possible with the trial."
A trial of automated car clearance using robotic arms, biometric scanners and facial detection technology is underway at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints as the authorities aim to maximise manpower and beef up security at border controls. They are conducting an internal test of the automated passenger in-car clearance system (Apics), which uses these technologies. They say if the test is successful, Singapore could be the first country in the world to implement Apics.
During a media tour last Thursday (8th December), officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) who developed the prototype showed reporters how the future of automated clearance can look like. With Apics, drivers have to step out of their cars to manually scan the passports of all passengers when they reach customs, similar to the self-check-in kiosks at airports.
Officers will be stationed near the kiosks to check the vehicle's cargo and to count the number of passengers to make sure it tallies with the number of passports. Once the checks are completed, the car will be allowed to move into an automated immigration clearance zone. In this zone, scanners with robotic arms, positioned on both sides of a vehicle, will locate the position of the car windows.
Once they have done so, the robotic arms - each holding a wireless device with touchscreen that shows the passengers' passport details - will stretch towards the windows. The passengers will choose their passport profile on the device, scan their thumbprints and take a selfie. They can pull the robotic arm towards them to remove the device from its cradle and use it in the car. They can also use the intercom located on the cradle to speak to officers if they face any problem.
Officers will help passengers who have difficulties using the devices and children whose thumbprints are not fully formed yet. If the passengers open the car doors in this zone, the scanners will detect the opening and retract the robotic arms for safety. Officers will also be alerted. Once the passengers complete the checks and return the devices to the robotic arms, the car is deemed to be cleared to move on.
Mr. Cheng Wee Kiang, Senior Assistant Director at the MHA's Office of the Chief Science and Technology Officer, said that his team is working to improve the system to make it as automated as possible. The success of the prototype will be judged by its ability to optimise manpower and to provide users with a seamless experience, Mr. Cheng said. "There will be exception cases. There are restrictions and challenges to biometrics technologies that we cannot resolve at this current juncture," he added.
In the trial, one passport-scanning kiosk is attached to each automated clearance zone. When the system is rolled out, one kiosk might serve several zones. This will free up manpower so that officers can focus on checking travellers with higher risks, Mr. Cheng said. So far, the trial - which takes up one lane at each of the two checkpoints - has been promising, he added. Currently, officers who are not involved in Apics are testing the new system and they have found it refreshing. "This is a new idea, a new concept," he said.
Based on their feedback, Mr. Cheng's team has been making changes to the prototypes - one located at each checkpoint. For example, they have included red and green LED lights in the automated clearance zone to signal to drivers if they are good to go, or if there is a problem. They have also improved on the robot cradle so that passengers could pull it towards them for better reach. More visual cues and infographics will be used instead of text so as to improve the user's experience, said Mr Cheng.
Apics will aim to clear 25 cars per hour, a specification spelt out in its tender documents in 2015. This target, however, acts more as a guide, barring no exceptional cases that range from contraband items to higher-risk travellers. Inspector Muhammad Syazwan, a Ground Operations Officer at Woodlands Checkpoint, said that security is the ICA's top priority in this current security climate.
Mr. Cheng expects delays to happen when the system is first rolled out to the public. "As with new technologies, it takes a bit of time to get used to it, as with automated clearances at the airport. Once you get used to it, it is like second nature," he said. For now, the trial is scheduled to end by mid-2018 but the timeline is subjected to the amount of data collected. "It is the first time that we are developing such a system so we do not have a lot of references. So we are still exploring... and trying to cover as much as possible with the trial."
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