Upping Your Face Value

In a world where one in five of the average adult population are regularly requesting new PIN numbers, could new Chinese tech be the answer to our forgetful ways?
Nowadays, barely any tech advance causes enough of a stir to make me look twice. In an age of singing toilet seats and waterproof electrics, the “Whatever will they think of next?” feeling of wonderment has been absent since the U2 iPod… Until now.
The genius minds at the Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, in south-west China, have developed a new system of facial recognition, which could eradicate the pesky PIN code from the lives (and memories) of global shoppers for good.
According to research, around a third of people struggle to remember their Personal Identification Number. Considering all of the gadgetry and software that we password protect in today’s world, that figure seems unsurprising. Over one in five of us has more than three PINs to remember, and that’s before considering Facebook passwords, workplace entry codes and (perhaps more importantly) anniversaries. So, would the introduction of facial payments take that extra weight off your mind and memory?
Recent tech news has been rife with security breaches. The attack of Russian cybergang CyberVor recently blew up the tech-o-sphere, during which the usernames and passwords to some 420,000 websites were stolen. This, perhaps, points to a need for progression in how we protect what’s ours. Bringing a whole new meaning to ‘paying in person’, the new Chinese system could revolutionise the security of our spending, while speeding it up, too.
The system would snap a picture of the shopper, collecting info about the face from 91 angles, then analyse it using two million sets of data, all in a matter of seconds. Current testing shows it to be 98 percent accurate, it could roll out as early as next year!
Picture it… You’re just nipping to the local supermarket to pick up some bacon for the Sunday morning family fry-up. A quick glance into (what we imagine to be) a (very) smart webcam and you’re on your way. No more scuffling around for one of many PINS to one of many cards for one of many accounts. Nifty.
Facial recognition technology has been a big player in the anti-crime and terrorism sector. In fact, the guys at Chongqing University recently developed software which they claim could detect when someone in a crowd was about to commit a terrorist act. Bringing such technology into the domestic global community would be a hop, skip and a jump for the modern world; and a great help to those amongst us with forgetful tendencies.
One has to wonder… Whatever will they think of next?