You have seen it in the movies a camera scans someone’s face and it opens a door or starts a computer system or car. You probably thought wow that is cool we need to create this technology. Well, it has actually been around for some time now. Facial recognition software is now used in smartphones and other technology that we use on a daily basis.
What is facial recognition software?
Facial recognition is a software-based application designed to identify and verify a person’s facial features. Software from the category biometrics maps and stores the data as a faceprint.
How to does Facial recognition software work?
Have you heard of nodal points? If not let me explain this part first. Nodal points on a human face are endpoints that the software uses to measure certain variables of the persons face. There are 80 nodal points used. Some of those are as follows:
- Lenght of someone’s nose
- Width of someone’s nose
- Eye socket depth
- Cheekbone shape
This data is captured and stored in a digital image of the persons face. Keep in mind that this recognition software works well from an unobscured frontal face view. If someone is from a side view or obstructed some the recognition becomes less accurate. The power of some biometric software is data for the program to learn.
For instance, if a program is run to show someone wearing a green hat then if that program is fed millions of photos of a someone wearing a green hat it will become smarter because it has a lot of data to run against to know what to look for when searching someone wearing a green hat.
What is facial recognition used for?
Facial recognition is used for many different things. Although you may be most familiar with this technology in newer smartphones the technology is used many things you may not be familiar with. Below are some benefits of facial recognition:
Smartphone access: The technology allows the device to store a faceprint within your phone that when matched can unlock your device.
Security and law enforcement: The technology allows law enforcement to scan crowds to identify threats and criminals.
Casinos: Casinos use this technology to stop people that should not be inside casinos for whatever reason. Facial recognition scans can help identify these people among a crowd.
Social Media Platforms: Social giant Facebook uses face recognition to know when users appear in photos.
Secure transactions: China already uses this type of technology to allow customers to pay for food by scanning faces.
Schools: Schools can use this technology to allow a face to be scanned before entering a building. It can also be used to scan a child’s attention and body language to know if they are focused or distracted.
Can you do a face search on Google?
You can use google image search. If you are saying to yourself image search on Google? Yes, that’s right not only can you search in the typical manner you are accustom to, but you can also search for images as well. The image search feature will allow you to paste the image URL from a website or upload an image from your computer. Google will then find similar images.
Biometric software and school students in China
China uses biometric software within the school to monitor if a child is focusing or distracted among other things that can help that child succeed. Although this is a hot topic the software itself knows when a child could be struggling with a topic that would allow the teacher to focus more on that piece with the child. It is also used to scan to allow the child’s face to even allow them to enter gates to get to the school. This is an added security measure in the wake of all too common school shootings.
Future of facial recognition
Biometric technology in terms of facial recognition is going to be a massive player in our society in our opinions. As more and more faces are introduced and stored as faceprints the more valuable this type of technology becomes.
Computers and recognition software will become smarter as these programs build up and learn what to look for. It is already changing the way we do business, interact at school, and in our social lives directly online. As advancements in technology grow so will the recognition apps and software.
The future of facial recognition will only increase worldwide. This technology is very beneficial to many corporations large and small.
