Intel announced today that it will make its RealSense 3D cameras available to customers hoping to use faster facial recognition technology in the form of RealSense ID. The move comes a few months after Amazon’s competitor avoided its own facial recognition program, which was accused of perpetuating dangerous racial prejudice and endangering people of color.
Intel’s move is a little different. Amazon has previously sold its recognition program to police departments and government organizations. The program was famous for causing positive fakes and endangering minorities. Intel’s RealSense is not simply an algorithm applied to data recorded from traditional cameras. It is a camera combined with a depth sensor capable of recording data in three dimensions, and Intel claims that much of the data that could be targeted by privacy advocates will be stored directly on the device, which uses algorithms to positively identify users. This means that your unique images should not leave the limits of the device.
RealSense cameras have been around for over half a decade and are popular with gamers for their ability to scan 3D space while capturing video data. However, the popularity of alternative products such as Apple face identification, which also combines the data of a camera with the data collected by infrared lasers, has grown in popularity, leaving RealSense without much to do.
Uses found by Intel. At a CES, the company did a scan of me in seconds, which was turned into laser-sculpted paper. Another year showed the ability of RealSense to control a wheelchair with facial gestures. However, RealSense is not commonly used by laptop manufacturers to open laptops by facial recognition – most are based on other Windows Hello cameras. Nor is it often found in phones or gesture-based devices.
Now, Intel will sell RealSense cameras as RealSense IDs and will be available either on a board or in an all-in-one plug-and-play package. Intel says it has been tested on a variety of skin types and nationalities on every continent and should not cause false positives or negatives.—Although I’m sure we’ll hear more about this from privacy advocates if RealSense ID starts to take off. He also claims that it will work around commonly worn masks to protect against covid-19, with glasses, and even if the subject ages or grows substantial facial hair. In a demonstration for reporters, Intel showed the camera positively identifying someone, no matter what they wore on or around their face, but failed when an image of the person was used on a phone. Intel claims to be more resistant to spoofing than competing facial recognition technology, with the chance that false detections will be one million – just like the rate claimed by Face ID.
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While Intel has repeatedly compared the RealSense camera obliquely to those found on consumer devices, the new module and board are not expected to be used in a laptop or phone. Intel was reluctant to talk about possible integration with Windows Hello, and instead said the camera could be used with a smart lock to open doors, or even with an ATM instead of a debit card.
It seems that Intel considers RealSense ID as a solution for fast authentication in the real world. Which makes me a little cautious. Is there a one million chance of a fake security ID enough to make you comfortable withdrawing money from your bank account just face to face or going through airport security? Intel says that the face identification data does not contain images and can only be read by the RealSense identification algorithm and the on-chip system integrated in the product, and it doesn’t look like it will be used in the same way as Amazon Recognition and other facial recognition technologies that have angered privacy advocates (although there are no word yet on whether law enforcement are interested or how they would even use it). However, Intel and its partners will have a long and long way to go to make consumers feel comfortable scanning their face to open a door.