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Cigarette vending machines use facial recognition

by on15 May 2008

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Tests for legal age limit before sale

Japanese company Fujitaka relies on facial recognition technology when consumers attempt to purchase cigarettes from its vending machines.

The vending machine has a camera embedded in the front of it that takes the customer’s photo and then searches through its database of 100,000 faces to verify the customer’s minimum age, which is 20 years old to purchase cigarettes in Japan.

The system software “remembers” faces and reportedly verifies age for those faces it does not recognize in its database by also checking skin tone and facial lines. How the software does this accurately is unknown, as some smokers look older than their years and some look far younger. 

Japan says it is part of its “child check system” program to eliminate underage smoking.

Read more here.

Last modified on 15 May 2008
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