Software IDs people by their ‘gait’

CHINESE cities are rolling out a “gait recognition” software that identifies people using their silhouettes and how they walk, even if their faces are obscured, in the latest tightening of the country’s security.

Developed by Watrix, a Chinese company, the technology can identify a person as far as 50m away by analysing how they carry themselves, regardless of whether their back is turned or their face is covered.

While the software is not yet capable of detecting people in real time, the company claims it can search an hour of footage in 10 minutes with a 94pc accuracy rate.

Such technology could supplement facial recognition, which relies on high-resolution images of a person’s face. It is widely used in China including on streets, public transport and airport immigration. Developments in AI are helping to create a vast national surveillance system, known as the “Golden Shield Project”, to monitor the country’s 1.4 billion people.