AnyVision files patent for facial recognition drone
The technology would allow drones to change the angle of their flight, so that a mounted camera would be able to a better picture of a person.
Israeli facial recognition technology developer AnyVision
has filed a patent, which would allow drones to change the angle of their
flight, so that a mounted camera would be able to a better picture of a person,
and thus improve facial recognition. The drone would be able to match the
picture with the faces in its databank using AI. The patent describes the use
of the technology as for "smart cities."
According to "Forbes" the patent was filed in
August 2019 by AnyVision but has only now been published. AnyVision's newly
appointed CEO Avi Golan said, "I think it's more futuristic technology,
but I want to have it in the back of my pocket once it’s more accepted by
humanity."
The "Forbes" article mentions that two US
government agencies - th Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the
Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) are both trying to
develop similar facial recognition technologies.
However, AnyVision insists it is not working with these
agencies and tries to dispel fears that it sees its technology being applied in
defense situations. The company says it is only working with commercial
organizations such as retail chains, sports stadia, airports and casinos.
To further reinforce its image as a company developing
civilian rather than military technologies, AnyVision last year spun off its
machine vision military activities into a partnership with Rafael Advanced
Defense Systems Ltd. called SightX.
This step was taken after Microsoft withdrew its investment
in the company after claims that AnyVision's technology was being used for mass
tracking of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria. Microsoft said that as a
minority shareholder, it was unable to supervise the activities of the company,
even though its investigations had not uncovered any evidence against mass
tracking by AnyVision.
AnyVision explains that there is a substantial difference
between the way in which police use facial recognition technology and the way
in which commercial systems operate. The company says that police obtain a
picture of a suspect at a crime scene and then try to identify the person in
the picture in its extensive image databank.
AnyVision says that in contrast, "Commercial facial
recognition products such as those used by supermarkets answer other questions
like is the person in the picture on the list of company employees? Or is the
person in the picture on the list of criminals known to the police? In order to
answer these questions you don't need a big database but a defined and
restricted list of the supermarket's employees, or a list tracking specific
people that have an arrest order or prevention order against them."
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