NEC says face masks aren’t an obstacle to its facial recognition tech.
The Japanese company (via Reuters) claims its new facial recognition system can identify people with face masks in less than one second, with an accuracy rate higher than 99.9 percent.
The system works by closely examining the parts of a person’s face not covered by a mask, such as the eyes and surrounding areas. It does require the person to submit a photo in advance, though.
According to assistant manager of NEC’s digital platform division Shinya Takashima, who spoke with Reuters, the technology was introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Needs grew even more due to the coronavirus situation as the state of emergency (last year) was continuing for a long time, and so we’ve now introduced this technology to the market,” he said.
The idea is for the system to be used at security checkpoints in office buildings, airports, etc., so mask-wearers can go through without removing their masks. NEC is also testing the technology out for automated payments at an unmanned convenience store in the company’s headquarters in Tokyo. The company has sold the system to Lufthansa and Swiss International Airlines.
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