Phone, Coffee, Delivery in the 'NahonSan Era'... Security Solutions Evolving Together [Unmanned Era④]

Over 100,000 Unmanned Stores Nationwide... Labor Costs Reduced but Crime Vulnerable
Face Recognition Technology Distinguishes Minors... AI CCTV Prevents Accidents and Crime

We are truly in the era of ‘unmanned stores.’ Since the COVID-19 pandemic, as contactless culture has widely spread, unmanned stores have been emerging everywhere. Unmanned stores, which reduce labor costs and can operate 24 hours a day, initially appeared mainly in convenience stores and PC bangs, but now they are expanding into various sectors regardless of industry. As the number of unmanned stores increases, security solutions to address problems caused by the absence of staff are also evolving.

According to S-1 on the 12th, the current number of unmanned stores nationwide is estimated to exceed 100,000. Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and rising labor costs, demand for unmanned stores is expected to grow even further. However, unmanned stores carry both the advantages of labor cost reduction and operational efficiency and the vulnerability to crime. For example, earlier this year, a man in his 30s was sentenced to prison for stealing and using a credit card left behind by a customer at an unmanned store. There was also an incident where a man repeatedly dumped food waste at an unmanned ice cream vending store, causing problems. According to police statistics, thefts at unmanned stores were only 203 cases in 2019, but by September last year, they had increased nearly eightfold to over 1,600 cases. Although police stations have implemented preventive measures such as increasing patrols and installing conscience mirrors to prevent theft, their effectiveness remains insufficient.

A customer is entering an unmanned PC room equipped with the S-1 facial recognition access control system.

As a result, security companies are also busy. Services are evolving in line with the expansion of unmanned stores, including providing customized unmanned store solutions by industry. S-1 supplies advanced biometric access control systems applying facial recognition and deep learning technology to unmanned PC bangs. Facial recognition technology has solved the biggest headache of unmanned PC bangs?restricting access to minors during late-night hours. It distinguishes adults from minors by comparing the faces of pre-registered adult members. By applying deep learning technology, it can recognize the individual even if their appearance changes due to hairstyle or wearing glasses, with an accuracy rate of 99.99%, according to S-1. Based on this, the number of S-1’s unmanned PC bang customers increased by 79% compared to the previous year.

S-1 applies intelligent closed-circuit television (CCTV) equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to unmanned convenience stores. It automatically detects theft, property damage, disturbances, fires, and more, and sounds an alarm. When an abnormal situation is detected, the control center remotely broadcasts warnings inside the convenience store to prevent crimes, and security personnel are dispatched immediately if necessary. The number of S-1’s unmanned convenience store customers also increased by about 30% year-on-year, continuing the upward trend. An S-1 official said, "We have developed S-1’s own cutting-edge technology and systems to capture the growing contactless market," adding, "We will continue to discover industries where unmanned solutions can be applied."

SK Shielders’ unmanned store safety solution, ‘C.A.P.S. Unmanned Safety Zone,’ integrates all necessary equipment for unmanned stores, including access authentication devices, payment kiosks, and AI CCTV. Kim Taekyung, CEO of an unmanned meal kit store operating in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, said, "There was a suspicious person who entered the store late at night and stayed for a long time, but the AI CCTV immediately sent an alert to my smartphone app, allowing me to respond." SK Shielders also offers a service that allows real-time monitoring of intrusion through an application when a restricted area is designated, and instantly detects abnormal behavior such as the same person staying in the store for an extended period, notifying the store owner.They also made a 3 billion KRW equity investment in the startup ‘Lululab’ to develop solutions that can unmannedly operate 130,000 health and beauty stores that require human product recommendations.