Two professors at the University of Iowa are developing a new camera system that uses Artificial Intelligence to detect child abuse as it’s happening.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/special-report-new-university-of-iowa-research-…

Two professors at the University of Iowa are developing a new camera system that uses Artificial Intelligence to detect child abuse as it’s happening.

With thousands of child abuse cases deemed unsubstantiated every year in Iowa, Karim Abdel-Malek’s goal is to create a product that can help keep kids safe. Abdel-Malek is the interim director of the Iowa Technology Institute, and he's developing AI-awakened cameras aimed at catching child abuse in real time.

“I have three kids, and so always for some reason was always concerned with leaving them with somebody I don't know,” he said.

The cameras would use AI to detect violent behaviors and if child abuse is spotted, the owner of the camera or police would be notified.

“Anybody that cannot speak for themselves, it would be wonderful to have some sort of a system that can monitor, alert and speak on their behalf when they need it,” he said.

Abdel-Malek wanted the help of someone with an extensive background in child welfare, so he called Aislinn Conrad, an Associate Professor at the University of Iowa whose area of expertise is in child welfare and social work.

“I’m sure you’ve gotten phone calls or kind of offers out of nowhere that you just know, even from someone’s tone of voice, that it’s going to change everything,” Conrad said.

She said research shows child abuse is a staggering, widespread problem.

"Most of these cases are based on circumstantial evidence. So, it's eyewitness testimony. It's looking at bruises, but it's not based on the actual interactions between the victim and the perpetrator,” Conrad said. “That has led 975 perpetrators to walk free out of every thousand because of this evidential problem."

Data from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services shows 5,292 child abuse assessments were substantiated from January through November 2024.

However, 14,677 were not confirmed, meaning there wasn’t sufficient evidence to substantiate the abuse claims.

“The longer we go on without intervention... it’s worse for the victim,” Conrad said. "What this system does is it quickly intervenes so the minute that something violent is detected, it turns on. So, you're not going to experience abuse, after abuse, after abuse."

Abdel-Malek said the camera system would be different from, and more unique than, a nanny cam.

According to him, the purpose of a nanny cam is to monitor the health of a child. Meanwhile, the A.I. camera system will be able to capture the physical interactions between a child and someone else.

"Whether they're sleeping upside down, whether there's any danger to their health. This is more about, all about physical abuse,” he said. “So, it's another human that could potentially inflict harm on another human that cannot speak for themselves."

The technology of a program Abdel-Malek worked on and developed with others, Virtual Soldier, inspired this project. They spent 20 years collaborating with the military on this.

It eventually led to him getting a U.S. patent a few years ago for the AI camera system.

Abdel-Malek said the AI they're working with now identifies joint centers on a person's body to help the cameras capture motion.

The movement gets transposed into their math and goes into their computer. So, as someone moves —it can determine if physical force is being used to hurt someone else.

Right now, Abdel-Malek and Conrad are working on developing the cameras, training the A.I., and securing funding.

“I think we’re almost there in terms of finalizing the product on the technology side. Advancing the software is going to be critical because there’s so many types of abuse,” Abdel-Malek said.

Conrad and Abdel-Malek hope to roll out the A.I. camera system by 2026.

It’s still in the development stage, but they’re hoping to have a strong network of people who volunteer to use these cameras so they can play a critical role in keeping people safe.

"I think we really have a chance to change the paradigm of violence and raise awareness and to do something different, and I truly believe that this system is a way to do that,” Conrad said.