Curious about face recognition? Let’s examine how face recognition works: software, biometrics, algorithms, and more.
Face recognition uses biometrics, software, and algorithms in combination with cameras to detect faces, analyze their features, and compare those features to a database of recognizable faces. Some purposes for this are security, social media applications, or policing.
In this article, we will examine how face recognition works. We’ll figure this out by going over the popular software used, biometrics, how algorithms play into the technology, and more.
We’ll even answer some frequently asked questions on the topic! Let’s get started.
What is Facial Recognition?
Of course, the first step to understanding how something works is to define what that something actually is. Let’s do that with a brief description of facial recognition!
Face recognition, or more accurately, “facial recognition,” is a method of confirming the identity of an individual or simply identifying them.
This method uses a certain type of data, namely the facial features of a person, to rule out the possibility that they could be someone else.
Facial recognition is usually used in field of security, as we will discuss later on. It is a close relative to things like fingerprint recognition, voice recognition, and even iris (or eye) recognition. It is a form of technology that is used in more and more industries beyond security around the world.
How Face Recognition Works
Now that we understand that face recognition is a type of technology, and have a small preview of what it is used for, let’s finally answer the question “How does face recognition work?” It is a fascinating concept, so let’s dive right in!
The type of face recognition technology that the everyday person is most familiar with nowadays is the kind used on a mobile phone.
This technology doesn’t analyze several hundred photos of people to determine one sole individual; instead, it simply makes note of what a single individual looks like during one scan of angles and uses that to make a phone secure.
However, the unlocking of phones is only one type of facial recognition (as we will see further on in this article.) With every use of face recognition technology, a new facet of how it works is implemented.
With that being said, in general, face recognition technology works in this way:
- Detecting a face – This type of recognition uses a camera to analyze and match the features of people that pass by to features of an individual from a reference, usually a photograph or two.
- Analyzing a face – Once a face is detected, it is analyzed. Face recognition technology uses 2-dimensional imagery in its database to take the face it just detected and match it to its 2-D reference point. This is done by reading through facial geometry, like how far apart your eyes are, the angle of the cheekbones, and other unique facial landmarks.
- Logging Facial Image Data – After detection and analysis, face recognition technology turns all of the features it verified through 2-dimensional imagery into a type of mathematical equation or “data.” This math formula is known in the professional field as a “faceprint.” Faceprints are like the face-recognition version of a thumbprint.
- Matching Uses – Though there are many uses for face recognition at this stage, usually, a faceprint is used in comparison to a huge database of other faceprints. Organizations like the FBI and even social media companies all have their own face-databases.
Let’s examine a few of the more technical aspects of face recognition in the forms of software, biometrics, and even algorithms.
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The Use of Software in Face Recognition
Technically, all facial recognition is “software.” You see, software is a set of programs, data, and instructions.
They are the internal processes used by computers to execute specific tasks. To get even more technical, the types of software commonly used are scripts, programs, and applications that “run” on a device.
The device itself (such as a hard drive or a computer, or even a camera) is known as “hardware,” and it is what the software is made to both direct and run on.
Face recognition software is technically biometric software, which we’ll examine next. To put it plainly, the software is the instruction given to the hardware of cameras and databases to execute facial recognition tasks.
The Use of Biometrics in Face Recognition
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Biometrics is a mathematical way to summarize a person’s individual physical characteristics.
These characteristics are unique to that individual and are often used in biometric technology for recognition that is automated by machinery and artificial intelligence.
Some of those characteristics may be thumbprints or the iris of an eye, but in face recognition tech, biometrics refers to a set of characteristics relative to the face.
Some examples of this type of biometrics which face recognition gathers are the distance from the nose to the mouth or the distance between the eyes.
The angle or shape of certain features, like cheekbones, make up a biometric formula, as well.
The Use of Algorithms in Face Recognition
An algorithm is a list of set instructions which can then be used by a software application to perform tasks and solve problems.
They can be incredibly useful in predictive technology, and in face recognition, there are usually two types of approach algorithms.
The first is “geometric” algorithms. These are algorithms which direct the technology to examine features that are the most unique or distinguishable in a crowd.
The second is “photo-metric” algorithms. Photo-metric algorithms turn photos into values, then compare those values to pre-established templates and work by elimination of variants.
What is Face Recognition Used For?
There are a variety of uses that face recognition fulfills. Obviously, technology advanced enough to combine algorithms, software, and biometrics can be very versatile!
The question is, what is face recognition used for? We’ve got a list of answers below!
- Security
- Social Media
- Policing
These are certainly the top 3 sectors in which face recognition technology is playing a big part. Let’s examine how in greater detail below.
1. Security
This is the most common use of facial recognition technology; in security! Nowadays, most smartphones offer their users the ability to lock their phone so that nobody but the user can have access to it; the way a user unlocks that phone is by using their own face as a type of key!
This was first unveiled with Apple’s 2017 iPhone X and its Face ID feature. Later, competitors like Samsung and OnePlus had to include the same type of feature or risk falling behind the times.
Now, smart televisions and even rideshare operators all use facial recognition technology. This is to enhance the security of information, as well as the safety of those using the feature.
2. Social Media
Social media companies have been capitalizing on facial recognition technology in recent years. They use the technology to not only increase the security of users but usually, to provide a more convenient or interesting experience on their website.
For example, Facebook uses face recognition tech to alert users of photographs they may be in, posted by friends. They can also identify friends for users who are taking advantage of the search feature.
Apps like Bitmoji use facial recognition to create fun experiences for users, too. For example, some emojis become interactive when face technology is used to read the expression of the user and transfer that expression or even move into the animation of the emoji!
Of course, social media uses facial recognition for security purposes too; users can get into and out of their accounts or their apps with greater assurance that they will not be hacked when they enable the Face ID feature.
3. Policing
Policing is the first use of facial recognition technology and still relies heavily on it. Around the planet, video surveillance is being upgraded with facial recognition software.
The use of biometrics in partnership with huge databases of criminal records, including mug shots, is cutting down on crime everywhere.
For example, some video security systems can use facial recognition technology to scan the faces of whole crowds as they enter a given area.
Then, criminals or those with a particular criminal record are made note of, and that information is sent to security personnel so that the criminal can be stopped before having the chance to create a dangerous situation.
Additionally, facial recognition technology in retail locations can add the face of shoplifters to a database and distribute that information to other chains and law enforcement, causing criminals who go unseen by employees to be caught or prevented later.
How Does Facial Recognition Work? >> Check out the video below:
In Conclusion
To sum it all up, face recognition works by using a set of programs or commands, known as software, to direct cameras and biometric algorithms.
These cameras and algorithms can then detect faces by breaking facial features down into distinct markers of individuals.
By comparing these faces to others in a database, the tech is used for security, social media, and policing.