18 Surprising Uses of Facial Recognition You Didn’t Know Existed

New advancements in technology led to the widespread use of facial recognition technology. More and more business and organizations are using technology because it is fast and requires minimal interaction from the user. It is primarily used for security purposes. Many businesses and homeowners who use this technology do so in an attempt to ensure that only authorized persons can enter specific areas or access certain devices.

But you’d be surprised to know about some of this technology’s many other uses. Here are some you most probably didn’t know existed.

Finding Missing Persons

Facial recognition systems use a database to add photos of missing persons. The system alerts law enforcers when there is a possible match

Early Threat Detection

US Customs officials use facial recognition technology to check the validity of passports. The FBI has also a system in place to check for persons of interest.

There are police officers in the US who can use their mobile phones to check the identities of suspects. They can use the photos to cross-reference with a database of known criminals.

Automated Jaywalking Fines

In China, police wear glasses equipped with Face Recognition technology in public places. Jaywalkers are automatically fined and notified through SMS when identified by Face recognition-equipped surveillance technology.

Book Lending/Libraries

One company has created a book lending library system with built-in face recognition. The system scans the employee holding the borrowed book and updates its database. The same solution could be used in public or school libraries to make the borrowing process faster and more exciting.

Banking with Confidence

Facial recognition is an added layer of security for ATM transactions.

This is to verify the identity of the cardholder.

ATM’s with face recognition capabilities were recently introduced in Spain and in China. These allow customers to withdraw cash from their accounts without using a bank card. Only time will tell if facial scans will soon replace the use of ATM cards.

Casinos Catching Cheaters in the Act

Casinos use facial recognition to spot potential cheaters in their establishments. They also use the system to keep track of blacklisted gamblers. This security measure makes card counting even more difficult.

Sporting and Entertainment Events

Facial recognition technology has seen a rising demand in concerts and sporting arenas. This is due in part to the increasing number of terror attacks in public events. Facial recognition systems can check if an audience member has any criminal record.

Several venues use the system information to offer better deals to frequent patrons.

Famous people in attendance are also detected using the technology.

Online Purchases with Selfies

Face recognition authenticates the identity of people making online purchases using their smartphones. The system confirms the transaction upon verifying the buyer’s information in its database.

Retail Outlets

Some retail stores began using facial recognition technology in their services. Customers can pay for their merchandise by having their faces scanned. The system then links the photo to the customer’s account in their database. Some stores also use this technology to detect shoplifters. The system can also detect persons who have displayed unwanted behavior in the past.

Bar Fines

There are several bars that began using face recognition software. This allows them to detect teenagers who use fake IDs to buy alcohol and cigarettes. This discourages underage drinking and use of illegal substances.

Restaurants

A KFC branch in China uses face recognition technology to accept payments. Customers pay by smiling at a screen equipped with the technology. The system checks its database and asks for a phone number for an added security check.

Hospitals

A hospital in China uses face recognition to accept payment for medical bills. Individuals need to create an initial profile for the system to use.

Schools

There are schools in the UK which have adopted face recognition to track attendance. The technology is also used to ensure order in classrooms. The system can also detect outsiders who pose as potential threats to the school. This may prevent gun attacks in the future.

Smart Cars

The new wave of automobiles now come equipped with face recognition software. This allows the vehicle to start only upon recognizing the driver. The system includes the safety feature of checking the driver’s level of alertness.

Hotel Booking

There are already hotels that use face recognition to scan returning guests. The system retrieves the guests’ profile and preferences. This allows the hotel personnel to give the guest a more personalized and warm greeting.

Select hotels have booths with face recognition technology. These kiosks issue the key card for the room to the guests themselves.

Dating Sites

Finding one’s potential mate online has become popular because of social media. Some dating sites now offer face recognition to match people with similar attributes. Although there are complaints of non-human matches reported in some sites:)

Airport Boarding

Several airports have introduced facial recognition in their operations. This makes the checking in of luggage and the boarding process more convenient.

The system uses the passenger’s passport photo to verify against a database. Passengers are only allowed to check-in and board when there is a match in the system.

Identifying Pets!

Face recognition is also used in identifying the breed of your pet. This capability makes it possible to find missing pets as well.

In conclusion

Face recognition is far from perfect. Different facial expressions and lighting conditions may affect the software’s accuracy.

The technology only works well when the subject faces forward. Objects that are too far away may also become hard for the system to recognize. But advancements in AI and facial recognition keep on evolving. These developments will address the inaccuracies.

More and more applications are developed for facial recognition. The choices are limited only by your imagination and the technology’s increasing capabilities.

18 Surprising Uses of Facial Recognition You Didn’t Know Existed was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.