The chance of someone else having the exact same face as you, across all eight features, is about one in a trillion. That’s according to biologist Teghan Lucas and a study undertaken by the University of Adelaide.
The uniqueness of features, combined with advancements in algorithms, have made facial recognition the go to for everyone from smart phone manufacturers and social media platforms, to those in charge of policing and national security. In fact, seven in 10 governments worldwide now use Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) on a large-scale basis.
Anton Jovanovic, CEO of NEO, agrees that FRT is evolving all the time and feels proud that his company is at the forefront in harnessing its full potential. As he explained: “With the many and varied applications available, NEO is able to create bespoke facial recognition solutions for our customers’ very specific requirements”.
“Given its accuracy and speed, the use of Facial Recognition Technology is only going to escalate.”
Identification is just the beginning.
Facial recognition kiosks are widely used in border security. With 15 million arrivals touching down in Australia each year, NEO was engaged to develop a kiosk that could quickly and automatically process those arriving. However, this technology is not limited to passport control.
Today, facial recognition is used to gain entry into everywhere from high security buildings, workplaces, organisations and educational institutes to member-only areas and restricted zones in premises. NEO kiosks are used in private enterprise and government departments, including multiple universities, to verify that those barcoded access cards, being presented, really do belong to their holders.
Facial recognition can match the person standing in front of the kiosk against a stored image database or a single document. However, fast and accurate identification is just the first of many benefits.
The power of personalisation.
Facial recognition provides the opportunity to identify and then greet the individual by name.
The power of personalisation has been well documented and can now be effortlessly applied every time someone fronts your facial recognition kiosk.
This technology can also be used in conjunction with Watch List Alerts to highlight the arrival of particular identities at a venue, such as VIPs.
Conversely, facial recognition can also be used to prevent their entry in a less confrontational manner. Exclusions can be decided by the venue. Or a customer may choose to self-exclude without embarrassment. In this way it acts as a customer service add-on.
“It’s so much more than putting a name to a face.”
Mood detection at a glance.
Identifying behaviour.
Known Customer Verification is the matching of an individual to a transaction or interaction. The information acquired can also assist with analysing demographics and common characteristics.
In addition to facial recognition technology enabling you to track people flow and purchases, you can also monitor customer satisfaction. By knowing the identity of a visibly disgruntled customer, for instance, the reason for their grievance can be addressed by management and damage control put in place.
Checking a customer is of age.
Enhanced customer service.
The efficiency of facial recognition can also reduce queues, whether they are at the door or in store.
For example, optometrist customers can see how they would look in a desired pair of glasses at the facial recognition kiosk. Never again will your customers have to pop on spectacles that were just on someone else’s face, or a pair that’s been pushed out of shape.
Facial recognition kiosks can enhance staff productivity, boost turnover and deliver an improved customer experience more efficiently. For example, if used in department stores at their cosmetics’ counter, a facial recognition kiosk could show shoppers how their features and complexion would look with their chosen foundations, eye shadows, lipsticks and blushes. It could even compare one side with the other, as a before and after.
Reality check.
With the advent of AI can this technology be foiled by a fake? In a word: ‘no’. With today’s facial recognition advancements, there is no need to concern yourself with someone using a photo, or video to create a 3D mask. Along with identification algorithms, liveness detection is built into this technology to recognise face spoof attacks.
Proven performance and speed.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sets this industry’s benchmarks, with its Facial Recognition Vendor Test (FRTV) enabling the algorithms used in this space to be assessed and then rated.
As Anton Jovanovic explained: “There is a 1:N (One to Many) test. This involves using the algorithm to find the perfect match between a facial image and a database of millions of people. Another test is the 1:1, where the algorithm needs to compare two seemingly identical facial images and decide if they’re the same person.”
NEO partners with a number of suppliers who use biometrics, cryptography, analytics and systems to create facial recognition software. The partner we choose depends on each customer’s requirements. However, all technology we consider will have been put through its paces as part of NIST’s assessments.
The opportunities are many.
Find out how facial recognition solutions can deliver an enhanced user experience and achieve significant cost-efficiencies for your operations. Because, let’s face it, it is the future.
