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Facial recognition tech goes beyond just selling stuff

Written by Tom Ryan

A potential application of facial recognition technology was recently demonstrated in a Barcelona comedy club, where patrons were basically charged per laugh.

According to reports, tablets installed at the Teatreneu club use facial recognition technology to measure the number of laughs. Each laugh is charged 0.30 euros (38 cents) but capped at 24 euros ($30), or 80 laughs, for the full night. Initial admittance is free.

The scheme, called "Pay Per Laugh" and aided by advertising agency The Cyranos McCann, is reportedly lifting average ticket prices by six euros and being copied in other theaters around Spain.

[Image: Pay Per Laugh]

For retailers, facial recognition technology's ultimate potential has often been likened to the scene from the movie, "Minority Report," in which Tom Cruise is instantly recognized as he walks into a Gap location and offered purchase suggestions based on the character's buying history and other personal details.

NEC has launched a facial recognition system in Japan that allows retailers to profile customers to estimate not only gender and age, but whether the shopper has been at the store before and how frequently she or he shops there. The recognition — done anonymously — promised to help stores maximize window displays, layouts, personnel and promotions by time of day. Not unsurprisingly, the technology continually raises privacy concerns.

Yet advancements in the technology continue, largely driven by demand from law enforcement and airport security.

Most retailers are in fact using the technology for security reasons. According to EssentialRetail, Harrods has been testing facial recognition technologies over the last two years to stop shoplifters, with officials admitting to the limitations of reading faces in crowds. Smart Vend Solutions in the U.K. recently created a vending machine using the technology that allows or prevents purchases based upon users' age, gender or dietary requirements. Uniqlo has developed a system that uses facial recognition to enable shoppers to pay for purchases.

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