Automotive theft and vandalism remain costly global problems, driving the demand for smarter, energy-efficient vehicle protection systems. Traditional “always-on” video surveillance approaches rely on centralized compute architectures that consume excessive power and are unsuitable for multi-day parked operation. A new distributed, event-driven exterior monitoring concept enables 360° situational awareness while operating at sub-watt power levels. By using existing camera infrastructure and activating only when motion or threat patterns are detected, it provides scalable, low-latency protection without adding compute or bill-of-materials overhead. Beyond security, this approach supports vehicle personalization and user-adaptive responses, offering a flexible framework for future mobility platforms.
