14 December 2011

Face tracking in nightclubs


CNN Money has posted a series of articles about face tracking technology.  One innovative use is to determine which local bar offers you the best opportunity for hooking up:
Using facial detection sensors and software, a company called SceneTap is trying to help bar- and club-goers find the right late-night scene before they leave home.

The system relies on multiple Intel AIM Suite sensors set up in an establishment, which detect faces in the bar and make inferences about their gender and age. That demographic data is then compiled and posted to SceneTap's smartphone app in real time.

The company says its goal is to help the nightlife industry optimize business. It's not interested in recognizing people in clubs, and the company insists its software isn't set up to do that. It doesn't store images or track individuals...

"There's a decal right in the front entrance essentially giving consumers an opt-out choice... If you don't want to walk in, that's completely your choice."
Other articles in the series discuss face tracking as it applies to security and advertising, and the attendant privacy concerns - just click "back" and "next" at the source link.

2 comments:

  1. And there seems to be an influx of college age men that keep showing up at our cross-dressing bar... Can't figure out why...

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  2. Anyone familiar with 'Predator' software knows *exactly* how the Government will want to use this. I imagine the Patriot Act gives the Gov. all the clout it requires to coerce the sub rosa ability to profile/match for selected individuals. And, in a world now used to sharing their everyday details with the whole world via Facebook, no Hipster would bat an eye at the possibility that they were being monitored right up until they or their friend get grabbed for resembling "Carlos the Terrorist". Then 4 years after getting "disappeared", they show up underdressed and confused in a New Orleans back alley.

    *puts tinfoil hat firmly back on head*

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