An inventor has been given a pounds 50,000 grant to develop a low-cost "smart" CCTV camera.
The device, costing significantly less than existing technology, would track human motion and signal anything suspicious to a human operator.
Douglas Macdonald, from Glasgow, has been given the grant to develop the product by the Executive.
Douglas, 38, who has an astrophysics degree, expects a prototype to be ready in a year and the product to be on the market in three years.
He said: "I have a concept to use computer vision to interpret human behaviour and what people are likely to do next.
"It is about learning modus operandi. Cameras can identify people who have characteristics relating to suspicious behaviour, people we can't be sure about.
"It can catch your attention and it is down to a human to make the decision.
"It means businesses can use their security resources more effectively."
The camera was one of 19 research and development projects in Scotland to receive a share of pounds 950,000.
