For years, facial-recognition technology has become more and more popular. Even just a few years ago, facial recognition sounded like pure science fiction – now it's being used to automatically tag your Facebook photos.
Of course, the technology isn't perfect (as Google can attest to), and there's one thing that can thwart just about any modern facial-recognition software: bad lighting. At this point, most modern facial-recognition systems need clean, well-lit photos to function properly, although that might not be the case for much longer.
As part of a new study, researchers from both the Institute of Anthropomatics and Robotics and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have begun developing a new type of facial-recognition system – and it'll be a lot harder to fool than Facebook or Google Images. That's because the system doesn't rely on traditional methods. Instead, it focuses on a person's thermal signature to determine who they are. Instead of requiring light to function, this new system could function even in complete darkness.
At first, that might sound like it doesn't make any sense – a person's thermal signature can be changed in a variety of ways, and even simply walking outside can change how an infrared signature is read. For example:
If the technology continues to improve, it could prove to be a huge asset for law enforcement and surveillance teams. Again, there's no shortage of photos anywhere on the Internet, and that doesn't even include government databases.
Who knows – sooner or later, you might not even be able to hide in the dark.
Photo: Nadja Peek | Flickr
