Amazon turns to warehouse cameras and AI to make sure workers socially distance

Now Amazon employees are getting some help to make sure they adhere to social-distancing rules, thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning applied to good, old-fashioned video footage, the company announced today. The Distance Assistant features a 50-inch monitor, which surrounds each person on camera with a green circle. If the individual walks within six feet of a coworker, both of their circles turn red. People can see themselves in real time and separate. "Working backwards from a concept of immediate visual feedback, and inspired by existing examples like radar speed check signs, our'Distance Assistant' provides employees with live feedback on social distancing," Brad Porter, an Amazon vice president and engineer who leads the company's robotics initiatives, wrote in a blog post.