Biometric technology refers to the instruments and systems that can identify a person based on their biological characteristics. Currently, biometric authentication systems like DNA matching, retina recognition, fingerprint recognition, and facial recognition are being used for multiple applications to access control and data recording.
As these innovations continue to evolve, you can expect these systems to undergo mainstream adoption throughout multiple industries. To be more specific, one biometric system that has gained a tremendous amount of traction would be facial recognition. With its market share expected to balloon up to $11.62 billion by 2026, having a better understanding of the technology and how it can impact your organization will be of great use.
How Facial Recognition Works
Face detection
A person will look straight into a camera and wait for it to detect their face.
Face geometry analysis
The camera captures their photo and analyzes it based on different nodal points like the distance between the eyes, cheekbones, jawline, and more.
Facial signatures comparison
The software creates a facial signature based on each nodal point and converts it into a number in the application database. The signature produced is more commonly known as a person’s faceprint.
Matching
Once a faceprint has been made, the individual’s credentials, such as their age, name, and address, will be associated with it. Upon entering a system, the facial recognition software will undergo a process called 1:N matching. After verification, the person will be given the necessary access.
Real-Life Examples of Facial Recognition
- Unlock mobile devices: Tech companies apply facial recognition systems to their gadgets, which owners can enable as added protection.
- Criminal detection: Face recognition software can help the police track and identify criminals by matching their images to a live feed.
- Find a missing person: Police can be notified of a face match and recover missing people quicker.
- Diagnose diseases: The National Human Genome Research Institute uses face recognition to detect a rare condition called DiGeorge syndrome. Face recognition aided the detection of 96% of cases.
- Support investigations: Facial recognition makes it possible to isolate a suspect’s appearance and greatly accelerate an ongoing investigation. This technology can also identify individuals at crime scenes.
- Access controls: Facial recognition allows safer and more confidential movements within sensitive areas.
- Validate identity at ATMs: Face recognition technology can verify individuals trying to make transactions with ATMs, ensuring safety.
- Social media identification: Social media platforms use facial recognition to help identify people in photos, making it easier to for them to see and decide if they want to be tagged in that photo or not
From the list above, it’s clear that facial recognition technology provides multiple benefits. However, do keep in mind that facial recognition and verification are two different concepts. To make things easier for you, here’s how they differ.
- Face recognition picks out distinct and specific details about a person, which are cross-checked in a database of voluntarily provided information to see if those are present in a crowd of other faces stored in a system.
- Face authentication or verification is the technology that compares two images of a person to verify if it’s the same person.
Protect Your Identity
Depending on the application, there are many ways to help determine a person’s identity, benefiting different industries. You can also use facial recognition technology as advanced security to protect yourself in everyday tasks.
Q5id offers an advanced biometric authentication system that can help you mitigate security threats in your company. Send us a message to learn more about our services today!
