System safe as well as helpful in many ways

Some people doubt the accuracy and reliability of the facial recognition technology. They need not, because the technology is highly sophisticated. It can distinguish a human face with or without glasses, and recognize it from the front based on data analysis.

Tests show it has a precision rate of more than 99 percent. Considering that the light beams are stable and passengers generally avoid making exaggerated expressions in subway stations, the precision rate can be higher and the errors negligible.

Some argue that the fingerprint or iris recognition system is perhaps more accurate than the facial recognition system. True, but for iris recognition, a person has to hold his or her head still and look into the camera, which is time consuming and thus not suitable for public facilities such as subway stations.

And the fingerprint recognition system is not so secure, as some people can cheat the system by copying and using the fingerprints of other people to enter or exit a station. In comparison, it is difficult to cheat the facial recognition system, as it recognizes human faces on cubic, not flat, models. A facial recognition system collects people’s facial images from different angles, instead of one, and therefore minimizes the chance of cheating.

Facial recognition is a rather mature system. Actually, it is already being applied in many fields such as unlocking smartphones and computers.

Besides, facial recognition technology can also help the police to hunt escaped convicts and terrorists in public spaces. The police can input the facial images of suspects into the sysfacial tem, and it will automatically compare them with the passengers using the subway stations, identifying them when found. The technology has already helped police nab some escaped convicts, and it may play an equally vital role in subways.