Next time you are walking along the street and see a drone overhead -- better look happy. A twitching nose or a frowned forehead might give you away as an unhappy “customer.” Novel surveillance hardware and software will be able to detect that.
The Change
In the old days, a few decades ago, satellite photography could already determine which newspaper article you were reading on your porch. Since then technology has advanced in great strides. Electronic cameras which are able to take good resolution still- and motion-pictures are commonplace. They are steadily being improved with higher resolution models which now rival the best photographic films of yore. Storage and analysis of the resulting electronic files has equally advanced. What used to take a large roll of film can now be stored on a smidgen of a solid state drive the size of a speck of dirt under your fingernail. High speed computers can now analyze such files or search for specific details on a whole “roll” of film in micro-seconds.
Recognition Software
Examples of modern “Recognition” software may astound you. Iris recognition scanners are already employed at select border crossings for positive identification of individuals who frequently cross the border and are deemed trustworthy. The system works well and can positively recognize you in a couple of seconds.
Other recognition software for identification uses facial features or the old standby - fingerprints. What may surprise you is the multitude of other personal features that are being considered and actively researched. They include both individual identification and specific mood and response recognition technologies. For example, they include such things as:
- Emotion Detection
- Ear Recognition
- Speech Recognition
- Hand Geometry
The Future
Some of the ideas proposed may be too difficult to ever develop into a practical application. However, others are further advanced that you or I may recognize. As with all things technological, each advance can be used for a variety of purposes – good or bad. So, if you are unsure about the intention, you better look happy!
