Face detection and recognition to unlock next generation iDevices
No other field has experienced so much of innovation like that of the mobile technology. In fact, every day in the mobile world dawns with new ideas, perceptions, and techniques. Smart mobile phones and devices have undergone much evolution since their debut. The increasing computing power of mobile devices has fueled the research in the mobile app arena. Recent innovations in the mobile technologies have really made life easier to the common man.
If you are still astonished with the iPhone 5s’ fingerprint sensor that unlocks the mobile phone, you have a lot more surprises to experience in the forthcoming iDevices. Apple recently acquired PrimeSense, an Israel-based motion technology firm. Before the speculations on the acquisition could die down, Apple has obtained a patent for “personal computing device control using face detection and recognition.”
If this technology comes to use, then user’s face would act as the password to unlock iPhones and other iDevices. As per the patent, the working pattern of the technology involves three processes namely a face detection app that identifies the face of the user, a recognition system that compares the face to an existing facial image, and a control system that enables the device to carry out different functions.
It seems that the program would identify the owner of the iDevice using the unique features, such as texture, color, size and shape of the face. According to Apple, the new technology is capable of doing much more than just unlocking the devices. For example, if the user isn’t interacting with a mobile device for a specified time, then it is customary for the device to turn on the screen saver automatically. However, with facial recognition, the device can sense if the user is looking at the screen while playing movies and the device will continue to play the movie without interruption.
One other possible use of the application, as stated by Apple, is that the device will reveal the phone number and caller ID only if it detects the authorized user, when there is an incoming call. When an unauthorized user looks at the screen, the screen would simply remain blank without revealing any details of the person calling.