New facial recognition technology being tested in China

Amber Hancock-Burns
Staff Writer

              Have you ever seen the movies in which a machine scans the character’s face, and they are able to enter into wherever their secret lair is? You may have also wondered when a technology like that would be available in real life. Now you are able to use this form of technology in Wuzhen, China.
            Wuzhen is a town slightly larger than Apex and receives millions of visitors per year due to its beautiful agriculture and classic canals. Baidu, a Chinese technology company, has implemented facial recognition devices into different parts of the town to shorten wait times and be more convenient for guests. When a visitor arrives to the town, their picture is taken and entered into a database which stores the pictures until they are used throughout the town. When the visitor wants to enter certain parts of the town, a tablet that is attached to the entry gates takes a video around two seconds long and sends it to a database in the cloud connected to it. This cloud then takes the picture on file and ensures that the visitor is authorized to enter. This entire process takes about 0.6 seconds to complete. Because of this new technology, guests’ wait times have decreased by more than half, and it is much less of a hassle for guests to enter different facilities and attractions.

---

           Baidu decided to try the facial recognition due to “people always having their face with them.” Also, facial recognition is accurate over ninety-nine percent of the time while fingerprinting, or other biological authorization, can not always be accurate due to changes throughout aging and injuries. Baidu’s system also is able to determine whether or not someone is live in person by scanning their iris in order to prevent unauthorized access.
            In addition to all Baidu has done so far to boost the technology around facial recognition, they also are willing to partner with other companies and let them use their technology. They have already started working with an unknown company to use facial recognition to enter one’s home.
            The new technology has only received positive feedback so far, and Baidu hopes to be able to improve this new technology within the next few years. ​