A Chinese technology startup has begun selling software that recognizes people by their body shape and how they walk, enabling identification when faces are hidden from cameras.
Already used on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai, “gait recognition” is part of a push to develop artificial-intelligence and data-driven surveillance across China.
Coverage of facial recognition technology on Globalnews.ca:
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Facial recognition software privacy concerns -
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Facial recognition software threatens shoppers privacy -
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Would you use your face as a concert ticket? -
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Chinese cities use water spray, facial recognition technology to stop jaywalkers -
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China’s facial recognition advances; becomes largest video surveillance network
Huang Yongzhen, the CEO of Watrix, said its system can identify people from up to 50 metres (165 feet) away, even with their backs turned or faces covered.
This can fill a gap in facial recognition, which needs close-up, high-resolution views of a person’s face to work.
READ MORE: Are you ready for facial recognition at concerts? It’s (probably) going to happen
Chinese police also use facial recognition to identify people in crowds and nab jaywalkers. Not everyone is comfortable with such surveillance.
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