Presense²

What it does

Presense² uses AI to analyze CCTV footage and detect human presence in real time, automating lights and appliances to reduce energy waste. It solves the inefficiency of traditional motion sensors and is scalable for offices, auditoriums, and industries.

Your inspiration

Working in home and commercial automation for two years, I saw customers avoid wired sensors due to complex setup and scalability issues in large spaces. Existing systems lacked a unified dashboard and couldn't provide centralized energy insights. This inspired me to build an AI-driven, scalable solution using CCTV for seamless presence detection and integrated control.

How it works

Presense² connects to existing CCTV cameras and uses AI to detect if people are present in a room. When someone enters or exits a defined area, the system automatically turns lights, fans, or air conditioners on or off. It works by analyzing live video feeds using computer vision to identify human shapes and movement. Users can set up zones in the camera view—like specific seats or corners—and assign actions for each zone. All devices are controlled through a cloud-based dashboard, and energy usage data is tracked in real time. This helps reduce waste, cut costs, and simplify control without adding extra sensors.

Design process

The idea began with the goal of solving energy waste in large spaces. Initially, we tested motion sensors, but they failed to detect still people and required multiple units, making them costly and hard to scale. This led us to explore CCTV-based detection. We built our first prototype using a YOLO AI model to identify humans in camera feeds and tested it on a local computer. Later, we added zone mapping so users could define where automation should happen. We integrated it with smart switches via API and built a basic dashboard for control and analytics. The current version is optimized, scalable, and pilot-ready.

How it is different

Uses existing CCTV cameras to detect human presence, eliminating the need for separate motion or thermal sensors. Unlike traditional systems that rely on simple motion triggers, it uses AI to accurately detect people even when they are sitting still. It allows users to define specific zones in a room for precise control and automation. Everything is managed through a single unified dashboard that also tracks energy usage, enabling real-time insights and fault detection. This makes it highly scalable, cost-effective, and ideal for large spaces like offices, auditoriums, and industries—where other systems fall short.

Future plans

Our next steps focus on refining the product for large-scale deployment by enhancing zone configuration, integrating radar sensors for camera-blind spots, and adding support for multi-site management. On the business side, we plan to onboard pilot clients in institutions and industries, expand through dealership channels, and offer a subscription-based SaaS model. We aim to create a unified platform for intelligent energy management that’s both scalable and affordable. Long term, our goal is to become a leading solution for smart automation in commercial infrastructure while contributing to global energy sustainability goals.

Awards

Presense² has been recognized for its innovation through government-backed support, receiving ₹3 lakhs from the MeitY Startup Hub (EIR) and ₹2 lakhs under EDII Tamil Nadu’s Voucher A scheme. The startup is also incubated at AIC Raise, Coimbatore.