Facial recognition has been used for all sorts of random purposes in Beijing – from (supposedly) predicting food orders at KFC to dispensing exactly 60 cm of toilet paper to “toilet paper bandits” at public bathrooms near the Temple of Heaven.
Now Beijing has come up with another – some would say more practical – use for the technology.
Due to safety concerns, a facial recognition system was installed in a female dormitory at Beijing Normal University last month, The Telegraph reports. If successful, the university plans to set up the system in nine additional female dorms
The idea is to improve security by ensuring non-residents cannot enter the building.
In preparation, students who live in the dorm were photographed last month. Now that the machines have been installed, the students must give their names, swipe their ID cards and then have their faces scanned. If all goes well, the machine says “welcome home” and a door to the building automatically opens. When students leave the building the machine says “be pretty.”
It might sound like a pain or an unnecessary precaution for some, but so far it appears at least some of the female students are pleased with the new system and the peace of mind it offers.
"It is convenient and it gives me a sense of security because strangers can no longer get in and out of the building," one student said.
Personnel working in the building also seem content with the facial recognition technology.
“We couldn’t prevent strangers from entering before, but now the monitoring system will alert if any strangers follow the students when they enter the building,” a university official said.
[Images via The Telegraph]
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