Electronic Face Recognition

[Peter47]

I had an interesting flight back from Amsterdam at the weekend. Apart from my first body scan at Schiphol, going through Heathrow T4 I was directed to a self service kiosk where I inserted my electronic passport into a reader and there appeared to be a system of electronic face recognition (no finger printing). Does anyone know how this works (without giving away state secrets) and if is going successfully? Is it likely to become the norm for EU passport holders?

[Dairyground]

It may not become the norm very soon, but is operational for both inbound and outbound at Helsinki. It's not completely reliable, several gates rejected my passport inbound and I had to go to the manned desk.

On the way out, the machine read my passport and recognised my face, even though I was wearing glasses on the day but not in my passport photo.

I assume that the chip holds a copy of the photograph, and clever software matches it with what the camera sees. There are a number of published International Standards to do with aspects of biometrics, for example ISO/IEC 19794-5:2005 Information technology -- Biometric data interchange formats -- Part 5: Face image data

Anyone can buy a copy from ISO or their local National Standards Body (BSI, DIN, AFNOR, ANSI, etc) for 150 Swiss Francs or the local equivalent.

[Haven't a clue]

Used the system at Gatwick North inbound, and Helsinki inbound and outbound with no problems. You have to stand precisely on the foot marks on the floor, and stand still while the machine selects the correct height for the camera, but if you do the process is quite quick. (Though not as quick as the eGates at HKG which use a bar code on your passport and index finger print recognition).

[Di_Vosh]

It's in use at Tullamarine airport (Melb, Australia). No problems with it.

[truthinbeer]

My understanding is the software highlights points (dots) of key areas of your features on the passport photo and compares to same on your visual image. Takes into account accurate measured distance and angles between these "dots", and works even if you have had plastic surgery.

I watched a program that indicated some airport's security cameras scan passengers walking around terminals and apply this technology to compare to a data-base library of known suspects. I think the program indicated it is in-use at a number of Australian airports.

If it makes flying safer I am all for it.

[ImPlaneCrazy]

I still wonder why they discontinued the IRIS program, worked like a dream!

[Hotel Tango]

Birmingham have the system and I have found it not in operational use 95% of the time I've arrived there!

[Peter47]

The automatic face recogonition gates at T4 were not in use today and from what I hear are often out of service elsewhere. I don't know if this is contributing to the lengthy queues (although fortunately not when I passed through at 1600 today). I had trouble some months ago when I tried to use one in T5 and had to be checked manually.

Does anyone know if there have been any problems with them and if they have been permanently withdrawn from use?

[Dont Hang Up]

There is nothing particularly new about face recognition software. You can even download your own version for your photo collection (just Google "Picasa 3").

The only thing to remember that it is only face recognition - there are no additional biometrics in there. In which case it is not doing more than the human on the immigration desk and is arguably doing a lesser job because it cannot recognise signs such as nervousness or agitation. Neither can it become concerned that a child travelling with a single adult looks afraid or unhappy.

It is simply another way of cutting the labour force - not a way of doing the job better or faster.

As a matter of interest - came through Edinburgh on Friday. Six of these booths. None were operating. Same story last two times through Birmingham UK. So what is the story?

[Hartington]

Trouble with IRIS is you have to get a picture take of your IRIS which is specialised stuff - when I did it I had to find a special room at Heathrow. With chip based passports your picture is digitised inside the chip so no special registration required. The face regonition worked for me at Heathrow last year but partly (I suspect) because I watched 2 other people mess it up and therefore knew what NOT to do!

[RevMan2]

Auckland for NZ citizens

[papabravowhiskey]

Having used the face recognition system several times, I have found that if your passport photo shows you with spectacles, then it is best not to wear them at the face recognition gate. Unfortunately for me, that means that I can't read the instructions nor can I see whether I am correctly lined up for the camera ...

PBW

[Carry0nLuggage]

The gates I've tried at LHR and LGW seem to take an age to read passports and only slightly less long to read your face. In my experience IRIS was far quicker.

None of these systems will be of any benefit to the traveller until they can be used without breaking step.