With the proliferation of the Internet of Things, security cameras are becoming smarter. Today, do these devices have machine learning capability that helps the camera automatically identify what it is looking at, such as an animal or a human intruder? Today, Cisco announced that it has acquired the Swedish startup Modcam and is part of its Meraki smart camera portfolio with the aim of integrating Modcam artificial vision technology into its portfolio.
The companies did not disclose the purchase price, but Cisco tells us that the acquisition is closed.
In a blog post announcing the deal, Cisco Meraki's Chris Stori says Modcam will take care of Meraki's machine learning game, also giving him some key engineering talents.
"In the acquisition of Modcam, Cisco is investing in a team of highly talented engineers who offer extensive experience in machine learning, machine vision and cloud-managed cameras. Modcam has developed a solution that allows cameras to become even smarter, "he wrote.
What he means is that today, while Meraki has smart cameras that include motion detection and machine learning features, this is limited to the operation of a single camera. What Modcam offers is the additional ability to collect information and apply machine learning to multiple cameras, greatly improving the capabilities of the camera.
"With Modcam technology, this micro-level information can be merged together, allowing multiple cameras to provide a macro-level view of the real world," wrote Stori. In practice, for example, this could provide a more complete view of the availability of space for facility management teams, a particularly important scenario as companies try to find safer ways to open up during the pandemic. The other scenario that Modcam was selling was giving a more complete picture of what was happening on the factory floor.
All Modcam employees, whom Cisco described as "a small team", have joined Cisco and Modcam technology will be added to the Meraki product line and will no longer be offered as a standalone product, a spokesperson for ProWellTech told ProWellTech. Cisco.
Modcam was founded in 2013 and raised $ 7.6 million, according to Crunchbase data. Cisco acquired Meraki in 2012 for $ 1.2 billion.
