For as long as humans have existed, we have had the ability to distinguish between the faces of friends and strangers. Only recently have computers begun to learn about artificial intelligence, including the application of facial recognition. In simple terms, facial recognition technology uses a camera to pinpoint facial features and create a map of the face. The data collected can then be analyzed against pre-recorded facial images in a database to identify the person of interest.
The facial recognition measurement includes the distance between the eyes, the width between the two noses and the length between your jawline. Surprisingly, most facial recognition software can complete this process in less than 2 seconds.
It is very exciting to have come this far, but how did we get there? When was facial recognition first used?
The true origins of facial recognition technology in its simplest form date back to the early 1800s. Almost immediately after the camera was invented, it was used as a way for law enforcement to record images of criminals to identify multiple offenders (a popular use of facial recognition to this day).
The most important person we can thank for the great progress in the research of facial recognition technology today is the American mathematician and Woodrow Wilson Bledsoe. He was one of the pioneers in the field of artificial intelligence and pattern recognition technology, and in the mid-1960s he worked on his project with a talented team in Palo Alto, California.
They created a simple device that required the use of a stylus and a tablet to manually record facial features. The results of this research set the stage for the future of facial recognition technology. In the 1980s and 1990s, research by scientists at Brown University in Rhode Island and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology led to innovations in feature faces.
This was one of the first breakthroughs in automatic facial recognition.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2011, in the United States, the question "Who is our enemy?" was the question. and "What do they look like?" were on everyone's mind. This has inspired intelligence agencies around the world to incorporate biometrics into their systems and structures.
Biometric data is being collected around the world, especially by military personnel in potentially high-threat countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. In a few years, the commercialization of facial recognition technology will begin.
You can see it in local police stations, smartphones and advertisements. As digital camera technology evolves, facial data continues to be collected. Now, it's a $5 billion industry whose uses continue to grow.
Current Applications of Facial Recognition Technology
Security and Defense
It is still popular for law enforcement agencies to use facial recognition technology in personal as well as public safety locations.. Personal security includes access to personal information and the most popular personal mobile devices.
While facial recognition in cell phones is fairly insignificant in terms of the level of sensitive information that can be accessed, biometrics are even being used for security purposes to allow people access to sensitive areas of government buildings and offices, as well as public events.
Auto giant Jaguar is looking at biometrics for possible adoption of a technology that would grant drivers access to vehicles based on the way they walk toward them. Whether it is more than a gimmick remains to be seen.
Law enforcement, on the other hand, has been using computerized facial recognition technology and other biometric data for two decades. Identification of felons has become more advanced as 3D facial technology has improved the efficiency of searches and arrests of individuals.
U.S. Customs plans to incorporate facial recognition and biometrics into their entry/exit gates at Orlando International Airport and 12 other airports to collect information about passengers with criminal records by matching these images to a database maintained by the Department of Homeland Security. If successful, facial recognition applications could be applied to every airport in the country.
Retail and Marketing
The use of technology in retail stores to prevent shoplifting and reduce crime in stores has become popular. As shoppers walk in, their faces are captured and compared to a database to identify people with a history of minor and violent crimes. This type of technology is said to reduce shoplifting by more than 30 percent.
Beyond that, facial recognition applications can be used for product promotion and more accurate ad targeting. At FaceX, a smartphone application has even been developed that detects a user's skin tone and suggests skin care and cosmetic products that the user can purchase.
With facial recognition, marketers can collect data such as age, gender and ethnicity to target their ads more effectively. The easiest part is that existing surveillance cameras can be used, and simply accessing them to collect data is enough.
Health Care
Probably one of the most important applications of facial recognition technology is in healthcare. In hospitals, doctors and healthcare professionals can detect and diagnose certain diseases based on facial recognition
If implemented properly, potentially fatal diseases can be diagnosed and treated early enough to avoid the worst possible outcome. Currently, only a few diseases and disorders can be detected, but as the technology evolves, it can be further enhanced to capture other diseases.
Hospitality
One of the most competitive industries in the world is the hospitality industry. . Every advantage, no matter how big or small, has an impact on the players in it. With the use of facial recognition technology, the possibilities are endless.
Hotels can record customer preferences, provide better security and automate check-in and check-out. The reduction of human error brings a streamlined approach to mundane customer service tasks that don't require a human touch.
Facial Real Name Authentication
Combining a number of combined capabilities such as ID card recognition, face comparison, and live detection, connecting authoritative data sources to ensure that users are "real" and "in person", quickly completing user identity verification, which can be applied to financial services, logistics and freight industries, effectively controlling business risks and resisting cheating behavior
Face swipe gate access
Integrate face recognition function into the gate, quickly enter the face information, users brush their faces to pass, which can solve the problem of users forgetting to bring work cards, stolen cards, etc., and realize the access control of enterprises, business, residential and other multi-scene access control.
Intelligent Face Attendance
It provides three kinds of solutions: mobile attendance, camera-less attendance and all-in-one attendance, ensuring the accuracy of identification of personnel who sign in, realizing fast authentication within 1 second, effectively preventing cheating behaviors such as punching cards on behalf of employees, and enhancing enterprise information-based employee management.
Intelligent video monitoring
Combined with face recognition technology, it can monitor in factories, schools, shopping malls, restaurants and other crowded places, automatically count, identify and track the flow of people, and at the same time mark the behavior and areas with hidden security risks and issue alerts to strengthen information security management and reduce the cost of manual supervision.
Face swipe mobile payment
Applying front-end face collection solution with 1:N retrieval function of million-level face database, binding face with bank cards, cell phones and other payment tools, solving the strict requirements of security, efficiency and accuracy of payment scenarios, realizing "cashless" face payment instead of traditional password, and improving payment efficiency and experience
Face registration and login
The user registration stage enters the face image to ensure the authenticity of the user's identity, and starts face login verification in scenarios with high security requirements to ensure high-quality, high-efficiency and low-risk identity verification.
Facial recognition temperature recognition
Facial recognition bracket
Facial recognition health code recognition
Facial recognition temperature measurement + automatic hand washing
What data does facial recognition software use?
Despite the relative newness of this technology, it has come under considerable criticism. Most importantly, privacy has been the biggest issue, and many individuals and social rights groups are uncomfortable with the constant monitoring and evaluation of their images.
Such concerns do have their genuinely valid reasons. Nonetheless, the benefits of technology like this cannot be ignored.
And do you know, where our software collects and uses your information?
We have already known above, how facial recognition measures your facial information. In fact, it is the same facial recognition technology that maps your face by the distance between your eyes, nose, lips and jawline.. Opinions do vary depending on what the information described is used for. At the time of this writing, there are a few consumers who are uncomfortable with the use of facial recognition in marketing.
Officials from the aforementioned marketing company issued a statement stating that no personal information involved is recorded or monitored.
This technology is just one sign of how far society has come. Security and surveillance cameras are kind of a boss in the facial recognition industry, they've been around for ages.The additional input of facial recognition technology only helps identify people when needed or when a threat exists.
As a reader, this should help you rest easier at night knowing that you are now more secure than ever.