Facial recognition software

Post Reply New Topic

So, this morning, I heard that airports nowadays have a camera at the customs desk that looks at you and compares you to your passport photo and recognizes you.

Not only does that mean I could probably now get a job at customs...but I couldn't help thinking, wouldn't that be a useful aid for those of us on the spectrum with face-blindness. I am imagining an app for an iPhone or something, and it could help one no end by telling them exactly who they're talking to. I know it would be a lifesaver for me!

I live in hope - does such a thing (or something similar) already exist?

An iPhone app would be technically possible today, but it would not be much use: you would have to hold the phone up to their face to take a picture--pretty conspicuous. I myself can't wait until we have subtle contact lenses that project information into our eyes without anybody else seeing it. First prototypes exist, but there is still a long way to go. You have to place a tiny camera somewhere that can record everything you see. The data from the camera must be transmitted to some mobile computer, perhaps a powerful smartphone. The computer then decides what to project into your eye: some HUD-like additional information like name tags for all faces in your field of view or maybe a completely postprocessed picture of everything. The hardware is not there yet; there are still issues with resolution, physical size, processing speed, battery life and many more.