Skip to main content

Minority Report comes true: Hitachi just developed real-life crime-predicting technology

In the not so distant future, Hitachi — maker of TVs, power tools, and a bevy of business and medical equipment — plans to unleash a predictive analytics system that it says can anticipate crimes before they happen. While this sounds eerily similar to the plot line of 2002’s sci-fi thriller Minority Report, rest assured the Japanese-based company didn’t uncover a band of psychic precogs in Fukushima or anything like that. Instead, it devised a futuristic computer system capable of absorbing mass amounts of data and learning on the fly.

The system, called Hitachi Visualization Predictive Crime Analytics (PCA), comes from researchers Darrin Lipscomb and Mark Jules, co-founders of the crime-monitoring technology company Avrio and Pantascene. After Hitachi acquired the company last year, Lipscomb and Jules took up the task of developing the revolutionary new tech, opting to make use of machine learning rather than relying on preconceived variables and factors. Because of this, the PCA has the ability to derive patterns from a near-infinite amount of sources, creating behavior patterns often overlooked by the human eye.

Recommended Videos

In an interview with Fast Company, Jules says police investigators traditionally built crime-prediction models rooted in their own experiences, the product of personal variables. Hitachi’s system removes the bias of specific variables, effectively analyzing thousands of factors capable of affecting crime. For instance, the PCA culls data such as weather patterns, public transit movements, social media activity, gunshot sensors, and many, many others. The data collected, Hitachi hopes, represents a comprehensive system capable of accurately predicting crime.

“You just feed those data sets,” Jules tells Fast Company. “And it decides, over a couple of weeks, is there a correlation.”

One unique aspect of Jules and Lipscomb’s PCA deals with how it ingests social media activity. For starters, the duo claims social media plays a significant part in predicting crime, ostensibly responsible for improving predictions by an astounding 15 percent. Armed with the ability to decipher colloquial text and speech, keywords, and slang native to a specific area or gang don’t go unnoticed. The PCA makes use of a latent Dirichlet allocation which sorts tweets based on their geography, then chronicles specific language to get an idea of what’s going on. Jules and Lipscomb hope this method allows law enforcement to identify when something is uncommon, enabling them to act accordingly.

While Hitachi’s new tech obviously provides a novel way to predict and stop crime, the glaring elephant in the room no doubt concerns the seemingly inevitable problem of profiling innocent people. Though Lipscomb posits the PCA provides law enforcement with a better policing tool than New York City’s stop-and-frisk scheme, it’s likely the new tech will raise its fair share of eyebrows.

“We’re trying to provide tools for public safety so that [law enforcement is] armed with more information on who’s more likely to commit a crime,” Lipscomb says. “I don’t have to implement stop-and-frisk. I can use data and intelligence and software to really augment what police are doing.”

Until Hitachi officially unleashes the PCA in a real, working environment, it’s unclear just how accurate it will ultimately prove to be. Lipscomb and Jules feel confident enough in its capability, however, the duo understands the tech needs to perform a series of real-world tests to gain widespread approval. To do this, Hitachi plans to allow law enforcement agencies in a number of (currently unknown) cities to give its system a spin.

Some of the agencies will even participate in a double-blind trial, meaning they’ll run the predictive system in the background but won’t see the predictions when they happen. After carrying on with their normal day-to-day for a predetermined amount of time, Hitachi will then compare the PCA’s predictions to the actual police activity over the same time.

Though extensive and detailed testing is necessary to discover the true benefit of Hitachi’s Predictive Crime Analytics, there’s no denying just how incredible a tool it already appears to be. It may not be time to call Philip K. Dick’s 1956 short story a work of nonfiction quite yet. However, it’s clear that now more than ever humanity is fully entrenched in “the future.”

Rick Stella
Former Associate Editor, Outdoor
Rick became enamored with technology the moment his parents got him an original NES for Christmas in 1991. And as they say…
The Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the $7,500 tax credit
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

After a brief and confusing absence, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit — and this time, it's sticking around (at least for now). So, what happened? Let’s unpack the ride.

The Ioniq 5, a sleek and tech-savvy electric crossover, initially made headlines not just for its design, but for being built at Hyundai’s brand-new Metaplant in Georgia. That domestic assembly qualified it for the EV tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which requires vehicles to be made in North America with batteries sourced from trade-friendly countries. But early in 2025, the Ioniq 5 vanished from the list. Why? Likely due to its battery packs, which were then still being sourced from SK On’s Hungarian facility.

Read more
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more