Will facial recognition biometrics come of age in 2011?
Face recognition biometrics has been around since the mid-1960s, but is yet to develop a strong market presence; recent tests of the technology in conjunction with CCTV — in Birmingham and London in the U.K., and in Tampa, Florida and Logan Airport in the U.S.— were disappointing; still, Chris Routledge, managing director of U.K. Time Solutions Ltd, argues that facial recognition biometrics will come of age in 2011
Facial recognition technology has been in development since the mid-1960s with much early work driven by security services and police forces. Results in the United Kingdom and the United States have been mixed. Biometric facial recognition systems attached to the London Borough of Newham and Birmingham City CCTV systems failed to lead to significant arrests of wanted persons, even though their mug-shots were available for comparison. Results from tests in Tampa, Florida and Boston’s Logan Airport proved similarly disappointing.
Security Park reports that according to Chris Routledge, managing director of U.K. Time Solutions Ltd, facial recognition biometrics will come of age in 2011. These tests resulted in facial recognition software getting a bad press, but they do not reflect technological advances of recent years, and should not influence judgment of facial recognition used for time and attendance or commercial access systems, according to Routledge.
Routledge says:
The early tests by police forces in the U.K. and U.S. were initiated in 2004 and six years is a long time in leading edge technology. Furthermore, police CCTV systems rarely capture the subject full-face since the cameras are elevated and the subject can be captured from any angle up to full profile. Coupled with this the subject could be wearing a hat or a hood making it difficult for the software to fix upon the landmarks, or features, from an image of the subject’s face.
In commercial applications these problems do not apply since an employee wishing to register at work in the case of a time and attendance system, or to gain access to a door, will present to the camera full-face making it easier for the software to recognize the subject.
Facial imaging biometrics has refined the technology in recent years with 3D imaging and infra-red cameras overcoming early flaws such as strong sunlight or darkness making a comparison difficult. It is now possible to make a positive identification under any lighting conditions and while the subject is moving towards the camera.
Routledge concluded: “While there are legitimate concerns regarding the use of facial recognition biometrics in the police and security sectors, the commercial use of the technology promises easy access for employees and a fast return on investment for employers. We believe that 2011 will see wider adoption of this technology in business and industry.”
