Facial Recognition Technology May Soon be Part of Your Travel Plans

Now that the 2014 Winter Olympic Games have passed into history, we can exhale in relief that they passed without any of the fears of terrorism coming to fruition. Some credit should be given to the Sochi

International Airport’s use of Facial Recognition Technology  (FRT) to screen the thousands of athletes, spectators, and employees entering secure areas.  Several other Russian airports employ the technology, and airports around the world are mulling over how they can use it as well.

Here in the U.S, the Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate, which oversees all R&D, tests, and evaluations is gearing up to make Facial Recognition screening a permanent part of our travel plans as well.

 The Directorate serves on two fronts. 

• On the one hand, they gather input from DHS agents, law enforcement  and other emergency responders on what can be done to best prepare them for the risks they face day in and day out.
• With this information in hand, they set out to find who in the private sector, research labs, or academic world has the technology to make it happen.

To this end, the Directorate has commissioned an initial FRT evaluation project with the intent of determining  how and which:

• ·         how FRT can be put into place, not only at airports. but at all levels of government, and
• ·         which software companies employ algorithms that can best aid first responders .  

Since the intent of the study is more to evaluate the technology than to pinpoint a setting or application, the first step they took was to gather neutral video footage, choosing to film attendees at minor league hockey games in Washington State. 

The hockey arena fits the bill, in that it offers crowds of people funneling through ticket collection areas or milling about at refreshment stands; a similar milieu to airports, cruise ships, transportation hubs, inaugurations, and other functions that could be targets.

Attendees were given the opportunity to opt out. Only a handful did. The next step was to pair the actual images with fictional profiles of the volunteer participants to be used to compile a database. This is all part of the how stage, and as of this writing, that's where they remain.

However, once they have the data standardized, and know exactly what test methods they will use, DHS will begin the which stage, sending out a call to selected manufacturers for the algorithms their FRT software products use.  The various algorithms will then be applied to the collected data to test the strengths and weaknesses of each of the FRT products. 

A major determining factor will be the percentage of successful matches made vs. false positive matches. After all, isn’t that what’s it all about?

For information on facial recognition technology or IP cameras, call Kintronics at 914-944-3425 or fill out an information request form and a sales engineer will contact you. 

Capturing the Heat of the Sports Moment

It looks like television has discovered thermal imaging technology. Last post we reported on how NBC News used a thermal camera to illustrate how much heat can escape from even the warmest winter clothing during the “Polar Vortex”. Well, on February 2, also known as Super Bowl Sunday, Fox Sports hopped  on board the thermal  imaging train.

Thermal Imaging Cameras At Super Bowl XLVIII

 In addition to the 79 cameras that brought viewers action on the field, they installed  one more, a high-definition, military grade thermal imaging camera to demonstrate just how much body heat players were losing to the field, and how wind chill affected their flexibility, range of motion, and stamina. 

Fox/Flir Image

IR Cameras at The World Series
Super Bowl XLVIII was not the first time Fox Sports has called in thermal imaging. Last year, during the World Series, they also used  the technology to see temperatures in warm weather. IR cameras caught the heat of the friction generated when bat collides with ball, or ball with a player or his protective gear. 

The way Fox set up the cameras – one on each side of home plate to cover right-handed, as well as left-handed batters, plus one in the front, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to see how thermal imaging might pick up things an umpire’s vision could miss. For instance, whether the pitch that almost hit the batter's arm wasn't an almost at all. Friction is friction and the camera would pick it up. So, might thermal imaging be part of  the instant replay of the future?

Take a look at this sequence of pictures capturing Adrian Beltre "striking out."  When it careened toward third base, both the umpire and Fox announcer Joe Buck agreed it was a strike. But watch the IR friction-heated ball as it leaves the bat. 

 Was it a strike or did he foul it off his foot?

Thermal Cameras at the Daytona 500

It certainly would seem that when Fox latches on to a technology it likes, it spreads the wealth. The network first brought thermal imaging cameras to NASCAR races in 2011 at the Daytona 500 with the intention of illustrating that the heat from the engines of a pack of cars  forces the cars behind to back off a bit lest their engines overheat.

But let's here it in their own words as found in their Daytona 500 on Fox Broadcast Guide

Infrared Cam

Introduced in 2011 during Fox Sports Coverage of the 53^rd Daytona 500, the network unveiled an infrared cam , a special camera designed to register variations in the heat signature of objects in its line of site. A unique feature during the race-cast demonstrates extreme temperatures that develop during typical racing conditions. Additionally, the Fox Sports infrared camera can reveal  the on-track grooves cars are using, as well as the difference between tires about to be changed compared to fresh replacements.

IR Cameras and Security

But there’s a time for fun and games and a time for safety and security, and this is where IR cameras come in to their own. Since they rely on heat rather than light they are perfect for monitoring dark areas and serve as a perfect companion to your conventional IP camera surveillance system.

Let's pause for a review.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Not all energy in the electromagnetic spectrum is visible to the human eye, only visible light. Light is actually energy, and although all light travels at the same speed, 186,000 miles per second, wavelengths and frequencies differ, accounting for the different levels of energy in each of the seven divisions of the spectrum.
Visible light is but a small portion of the entire spectrum, radiating about midpoint between Gamma Rays , X-rays, and Ultra-Violet light, all having shorter wavelengths and  longer frequencies. On the other side we have Infrared light, Microwaves, and Radio waves all with increasingly longer wavelengths and shorter frequencies.  Infra-red’s longer  wavelengths and  shorter frequencies lack energy sufficient to stimulate the cones in our eyes, responsible for processing visible light.

A conventional IP cameras is similar to the human eye. Its lens works only with visible light, capturing and focusing it on the image sensor which processes a digital image  But an Infrared camera is able to detect heat or thermal energy, convert it to an electronic signal and process it into a thermal image that  shows a range of temperatures. And it bears mentioning that everything on the planet gives off a degree of heat.

An  IR illuminator is used in conjunction with infra-red cameras and serves a dual purpose. It floods the dark area with sufficient infra-red light needed by the camera’s IR len and IR sensor, and thanks to IR light's invisibility as far as the human eye is concerned, allows surveillance monitoring operations to remain covert.

Should you have need for infrared cameras or conventional IP cameras, visit us at www.kintronics.com, call Kintronics at 914-944-3425, or fill out an information request form and you’ll be contacted promptly so we can answer your questions and give you all the info you need.