Qylur Automated, Self-Service, Security-Screening Kiosk Is Revolutionary

Qylur has designed a game-changing new bag-screening technology called the Qylatron that will improve fan experience for sports and entertainment venues, monuments and transportation hubs. The industry-first Qylatron scans guest IDs and screens bags five times faster, detects multiple security threats, reduces security costs with up to 50-percent less staffing, and improves the guest experience. Lisa Dolev, PhD – Founder, Qylur Security Systems, a user experience-driven homeland security technology company based in Silicon Valley, was gracious to carve out the time from Palo Alto to speak to the Sports Techie community blog in Seattle, before their global launch today.

Qylatron™ – Smart Threat-Learning System

Qylur Security Systems was founded in November 2005 with the mission of creating and deploying security platforms to protect the public against terrorism and other malicious acts. I wrote a blog covering the Boston Marathon bombings here.

Qylur Launch

The Qylatron technology intersects with the fan-experience/privacy and safety at stadiums, arenas and other facilities. After years of research and engineering, they took different technologies such as x-rays, sensors and artificial intelligence to create a “Social Network of Machines,” says Lisa. Objectives like, “fun, cool and futuristic,” said Lisa, are important components of the Qylatron design, just the same as guest, “safety, dignity and honor.”

After a trial phase and 18-month field trial that included successful testing at a major sports stadium, the Statue of Liberty, and major U.S International airport, the company is set to sell through to interested commercial buyers. Sales will commence at the start of 2014 after receiving certification from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The announcement of the commercial availability of Qylatron Entry Experience Solution – an automated, self-service, security-screening kiosk, comes just a few months before the 2014 Super Bowl 48 at MetLife Stadium, the ensuing Sochi winter Olympic Games, and finally the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

“Having spent my career in public safety and counterterrorism, and understanding the adaptive nature of evolving threats, I view Qylur as a truly transformative security-screening solution as it not only offers the most advanced detection, but also a less cumbersome user experience that maintains dignity and privacy,” said Dr. Erroll Southers, associate director of the DHS National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events. “Qylur is successfully challenging the status quo of security and safety solutions by combining artificial intelligence, a smart threat-learning engine, and sensor fusion, and applying it to a real physical field. The Qylatron is an innovation to advance security, reduce the margin of human error, and lower operational costs – all while protecting individuals and their privacy.”

SAFETY

Qylatron shared that her company recently received the Support Anti-Terrorist by Fostering Technologies (SAFETY) Act designation by the DHS, in addition to completing detection validation by independent agency ICTS.  Because of this, commercial deployment of the Qylatron is expected in early 2014.

The Qylatron will reverse the strict new rules for fans checking their bags. Fans entering a stadium will “still” have a speedy screening process; the difference is that the quality of the search will improve exponentially. Ticket taking is also transformed and there is no more need for security bins. Fans can trust that their keys, wallet and purses will be identified and completely secure. Terrorists can trust that their cup or bag packed with explosives will also be identified and immediately confiscated leading to arrest.

I covered the NFL’s No Bag policy change at the Seahawks first pre-season game and speed seemed slightly improved from last season. With the Qylatron, speed improves and fan privacy is maintained so these expensive stadiums have much less to worry about regarding harmful items entering the stadium.

Qylur Man on the Street | San Francisco

Public facilities wrestle with the inherent tradeoffs between guest experience, stout security, and operational efficiencies. Often, this delicate balancing act results in inefficient and intrusive screening processes that taint guests’ perception of their experience and a venue’s reputation. The Qylatron has been proven to overcome these human challenges, having completed thousands of International and domestic scans. Administrators at these venues have acknowledged the solution performs more effectively and efficiently, while delivering a better security experience.

You can see in the video how easy/fast it works.

Video of how it works – http://www.qylur.com/hls-resource-library/video-see.php

Qylatron Specs:

• Provides 5X faster bag screening and upgrades a venue’s security with patented multi-threat detection combining fused nuclear, X-ray and chemical sensors
• Responds to ever-evolving threats and personas, local and global, with an intelligent, big-data driven, threat-learning engine and ongoing updates
• Reduces security costs 30-50%
• Over 200 Different Perameters
• Designed to be a take apart model, takes only one day to install and requires a forklift
• ICTS Independent Agency Testing

“The face of terrorism and crime is ever evolving, but Qylur’s mission is simple and steadfast: contributing to a vibrant, free society where people enjoy everyday affairs and large events, while being protected from security threats,” says Leo Glesser, president of International Security & Defense Systems (ISDS). “The Qylatron is a one-and-done, cost-effective screening system that combines the best of human and machine capabilities to provide the best protection from security threats, while respecting and enhancing the guest experience.”

Q&A

Dr.  Dolev spent her entire life figuring out a “better mousetrap” and in this case, a scanner. Their design creates a brand new fan experience unlike what sport attendees, travelers and visitors are used to.

The first question I asked Lisa was whether her proprietary automated security system can detect nuclear weapons, with a follow-up question asking about biological and chemical weapons. Security is a “major issue,” said Lisa in response.

The system was created to expose weapons and explosive devices such as bombs. In other words, all the weapons I asked about need some sort of device to carry it in and another device to trigger the explosion. This is what their machine does; it identifies explosives in a water bottle, lunch pack or shoe. Next generation systems will be developed down the road to handle these other kinds of multiple security threats. Because of the delicate nature of Homeland Security, vague answers are in everyone’s best interest since we do not want terrorists or disgruntled fans knowing exactly how the technology operates.  

In her Northern California backyard there is a new stadium being built by the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara that is promising to be the most technologically advanced stadium ever constructed for a truly one-of-kind fan experience. I was honored to know that Lisa is eager to read my upcoming iQ by Intel blog about Levi’s Stadium tech and hosting Super Bowl 50 because she is eager to talk with team officials about the Qylatron fit.

I finished off the interview with a half joking, half serious question. I wanted to know if any alien technology went into this kiosk design. Lisa laughed and said, “An observer said it looked like a Transformer and another said it resembled a soccer ball.” I cleared up the confusion by relating my question to Area 57 technology, Google search that. The fact is, said Lisa, “There is no alien technology,” She emphasized that the A.I. engine is foreign to the public and is technology no one has seen before but it was designed by her first-rate team at Qylur.

The Design

Lisa described how they had to, “Quickly and objectively,” figure out a design to meet their company mission and “apply it to real science” before more terrorism occurred.

The Qylatron design is shaped like a honeycomb and has an interactive screen. The size is only 450 square feet, a signicant savings when compared to the x-ray checkpoint in place now that can cover 5 lanes and 2,500 square feet.

Because of the design, it does not matter what country a buyer is from, the system can be customized with language and localization branding needs. Their Brazilian demo called for personalized signage to be in Portuguese and the colors to resemble the World Cup for sponsorship and VIP activation opportunities.

Within the environment, Green means go and Red means stop. Since this color combination standard is accepted on a global scale, there is no need to customize displays nor tweak setting codes. The system updates itself with custom algorithms that are pertinent to each venue. There is no onsite maintenance needed, the technology is monitored remotely. Owners have no need for spare parts when subscribed to the full suite of services. Qylur will know what needs servicing automatically and implement the required field services, actually eliminating these IT costs for customers.

Different countries have different requirements though, an easy example are snacks. What a fan in Georgia takes to a game in the Georgia Dome is different than what a fan brings in a bag in Madrid, Moscow or Tokyo. This propriety A.I. tech teaches itself the family of local shapes and learns what a culture tends to bring to events so it can constantly adapt its parameters to meet already established and brand new dangers.

The Qylatron offers comprehensive large-venue security screening, replacing outdated, manual-driven alternatives. The Qylatron expedites and upgrades a venue’s security by performing five concurrent bag scans with patented, multi-threat detection that employs the fusion of multiple sensors. Equipped with an intelligent, threat-learning engine and ongoing updates, the Qylatron is able to respond to ever-evolving threats, both locally and globally.

Pricing and Availability

The Qylatron™ Entry Experience Solution is offered under a subscription model. Qylur provides the complete system and a full suite of services, including maintenance, field service, and a unique service for ongoing fine tuning of detection and flow performance. These services, guaranteed by Qylur, ensure that security remains responsive and up-to-date.

Lisa told me, “The total cost varies from $0.20 to $1.20 a person. This cost can be added to the ticket holder and paid monthly.”

The Qylatron is being released for general availability for commercial deployments beginning in the first quarter of 2014. For more information, contact [email protected]

About Qylur

Qylur Security Systems is a user experience-driven, homeland security technology company. Qylur develops fully integrated security-screening solutions (identification and bags) for large public venues such as sports and entertainment venues, monuments, and transportation hubs. Qylur employs patented, multi-threat detection that combines fused sensor technology, and an intelligent, threat-learning engine that responds to ever-evolving threats. Qylur’s products redefine public safety and deliver a true consumer-friendly experience, giving guests a fun, respectful, and personalized self-service process. Backed by top-tier investors and headquartered in Silicon Valley, Qylur has received the DHS SAFETY Act designation. For more information, visit www.qylur.com and contact [email protected].

Sports Techie, Lisa mentioned that they, “Drive technology,” which is something I agree with. The Qylur entry experience solution is going to transform the fan experience for bag screening and ticket taking in venues all over the world.

Parents like me will soon be able to simply place a bag inside the honeycomb door loaded with baby food, shoes and diapers, and just go. Testing at Liberty State Park (across from the Statue of Liberty), a Rio de Janeiro airport, and a U.S. stadium prove that this concept is doable and scalable. Venues in China, India, and the Middle East better get in line to speak with Qylur.

The problematic, slow and cumbersome bag screening and ticket taking of old, meet the new and quicker Qylatron image, sensor and AI complete process that learns as it goes and gets smarter with every scan. Like Lisa said, “Utilizing the latest and greatest technology without fear,” is why they are in business and why we are Sports Techie.

Your guest experience at sporting and entertainment events as well as at major public and private attractions, in addition to countless airport and other transportation hubs around the world, just got safer and even more enjoyable thanks to the convergence of sports and technology by Qylur Security Systems.

Go to a live show, big game, or new amusement park knowing that a Qylatron is soon to be waiting to offer a more relaxed and quicker, bag screening and ticket check-in, fan experience.

I will see ya when I see ya, THE Sports Techie @THESportsTechie – http://twitter.com/THESportsTechie

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