CCTV is taken for granted in the modern world and is a common sight on commercial and even domestic properties across the nation.
Walk down the street in any urban town or city across the UK and it won’t be long before you spot one or half a dozen cameras staring down at you. For most people CCTV is a comforting sight, reassuring them that wrongdoers will swiftly be detected and dealt with and that the truth behind any incident will be revealed in full HD clarity.
But where exactly did this incredible technology come from, and how did it grow to the massively popular security measure it is today?
Of course, the history of CCTV really begins with the invention of the camera, but don’t worry, we aren’t going to go back quite that far in this article.
Instead we will look at the use of camera technology for surveillance purposes, and how it became the security technology that is the foundation of the services companies such as Trust Hire use in the modern day.
Who first invented CCTV?
CCTV was never really invented, more developed from the emerging camera technology of the time and altered for surveillance purposes. The first instance of CCTV is thought to have been recorded in Nazi Germany during World War 2 when engineer Walter Bruch operated such a system to monitor rocket launches at a safe distance from the launch site itself.
In domestic terms, CCTV first came into play a couple of decades later when a nurse living in New York named Marie Van Brittan Brown developed her very own home security video surveillance system to monitor her neighbourhood. The work of Brown was incredibly advanced for its time with images projected live onto a television monitor inside her home and a panic button that contacted the local police remotely.
Not only did Brown’s system monitor those approaching her home, it also allowed her to talk to that person using a two-way microphone system. Home video doorbells have only really become commonplace in the last decade in the UK, so it is pretty remarkable to think that such technology was actually pioneered over 50 years ago.
An incredibly influential inventor, Brown made several inventions during her lifetime but done as influential or impressive as the development of a monitored CCTV system.
How did CCTV become what it is today?
Like most technologies, CCTV has evolved tremendously over the past few decades. By the 1980s outdoor surveillance was common on the streets of the UK and by the 1990s most businesses had some form of CCTV system in place on their properties.
In the past 10 years, the biggest development in the CCTV world has been the addition of AI features that automatically detect intruders and will learn to ignore routine activity to minimise the threat of false alarms.
With the sky being the limit for AI in all industries we can’t wait to see where CCTV goes next.