Technology is constantly evolving and adapting to suit the needs of a growing population. Biometric facial recognition is included in this with many businesses now adopting it to benefit their customers, staff and the business itself. Facial recognition technology has been around for many years, however it is becoming increasingly popular with the general public, construction companies and the government alike. No matter what industry you are in, there are several benefits to using biometrics including, but not limited to, protection against theft, strengthened security, convenience and limited touch points.
What is facial recognition
Facial recognition is a fairly new piece of technology that is transforming how businesses work. It is an element of biometric security and is a way of accurately identifying a person’s identity. This is done through a person’s face in real life, videos or photos. Mostly, this form of technology is used in security situations however, it is now starting to become popular in other areas too.
Most people will be familiar with facial recognition used to unlock a phone, this works in a similar way to other uses of the technology. Steps to operate this system include:
- Face detection: firstly, a camera will locate and detect a person’s face, this may be them looking straight at the camera or even to the side of their face
- Face analysis: the person’s face is then analysed, examining the distance between someone’s chin to forehead, their eyes, the shape of their lips and chin. The objective of this step is to distinguish the key features making them recognisable
- Image conversion: the captured image is then converted into digital data, just like a person has their own unique thumbprint, a face also has a unique formula
- Locating the match: once a face has been captured and converted into data, it is then compared with other faces on a specific database and a match will be made if it is recognised. This is often a quick process.
Areas where facial recognition is used
Biometric systems are being increasingly used in a range of situations. The areas where facial recognition is being used include:
- Tracking worker and student attendance – this helps to track how much someone should be paid and whether they are attending classes/shifts when they should be
- Healthcare: in hospitals this technology is being increasingly used to retrieve a patient’s records and prescribed medication
- Marketing: this is used to improve a customer’s experience by testing reactions from audiences and tailoring advertisements
- Law enforcement: this is often used when comparing mugshots with recognition databases
- Unlocking phones: this is one area most people will be familiar with, using their face to keep all of their personal information on their phone secure
- Airports: now in many airports, facial recognition is used as part of the border control process
- Banking: instead of needing passwords to log into a bank account, face scanners can instead be used to authorise transactions
- Find missing persons: law enforcement may be contacted whenever a missing person is recognised
Business benefits
There are so many benefits for using facial recognition in a range of businesses. Benefits include:
Easy to use
Unlike a lot of technology, which can be difficult to use, facial recognition is extremely simple. No training is required for users and it can be implemented straight away. Providing a high level of accuracy and efficiency.
Protect against theft
Facial recognition is a great way to help prevent theft within a business. In a business where it is used to report attendance, staff will be deterred from stealing as their identity and participation has been clocked. In addition, owners can use security cameras to help recognise known shoplifters, meaning just the presence of cameras will put people off stealing.
Strengthens security/safety
Particularly in places such as airports and banks, this technology is hugely beneficial in boosting security and keeping people and their belongings safe. Screening is highly important, especially in an airport to help decrease potential threats and criminals from entering or exiting an area. Utilising facial recognition as part of the screening process ensures that border checks are more efficient and accurate.
Limits touch points
By using facial recognition in a business, it helps to limit touch points as there is less need for human interaction along a journey. Using artificial intelligence promotes a more seamless process whether that be during shopping or banking. It also helps to improve health and safety measures, especially if there is a large amount of people coming in and out of one area. By limiting physical touch, without the need for pin pads and fingerprint scanners, germs will be more contained and spread less easily. Particularly over the past couple of years through the spread of Covid, people have become more aware about the spread of illnesses. So integrating a system in a business that reduces contact will put many people at ease.
Convenience
Convenience is a huge advantage and would be a benefit to most businesses. Facial recognition technology helps to save time and effort in many different circumstances. Whether that be using it to login to a phone quickly, to save time putting in a password, or paying for shopping in a supermarket, to make it easier, rather than carrying around bank cards all the time. This not only saves time but boosts efficiency, particularly in supermarket and banking scenarios. Offering a seamless, automatic and fast verification experience, gone are the days of constantly having to remember an array of passwords and codes and taking time to type them in. Now people can be verified within a matter of seconds.
There are so many benefits to using facial recognition within a business, no matter what industry that it is. The effective technology is becoming increasingly integrated within day-to-day life, such as through mobile phones and access control systems. From shopping to finding a missing person, there are many reasons why it may be needed in your business.
