Zero errors reported in device-free face biometrics Japan airport trial

Two officials of ANA Digital Gate have spoken about the success recorded by a face biometrics authentication Proof of Concept (POC) in which around 30,000 air travelers participated over a period of six months.

In an interview with Digital Garage – a joint venture partner, Kariyu Matsuno, head of Business Development Section in the Marketing Solution Department of ANA Digital Gate, and Toshihiro Kobayashi, who works in the same Section, spoke about their collaboration with Hitachi, saying the Japanese company’s secure and innovative technology was a driving force behind the POC success.

They also talked about the plans and perspectives for the future as ANA Digital Gate works to grow and expand its business and presence, and also about a future where air travelers can be able to make their trips without having to use digital wallets or smartphones for authentication.

According to the officials, participants in the POC, which was labelled “Facial Recognition Stamp Rally,” used a facial recognition system to check in at 11 airports across Japan, and they were awarded 30 air miles each time they successfully went through the authentication process. There were said to be about 130,000 authentications in all and most of them happened with people completing the authentication process without the need to use their smartphones.

“It was a meaningful test with absolutely no system errors. We were able to confirm the stability of this authentication technology, even with many more people than we predicted. And since a survey showed 80 percent of the participants had never visited an ANA FESTA before, I think it was a highly effective way to boost awareness of these stores and store visits,” Kobayashi is quoted as saying.

He says while the POC was a strategy to improve and expand the horizons of their business through the air miles incentives, the company is looking forward to other options in future campaigns, and novelties like non-fungible token technologies.

Biometric data collected during the POC is secured, the ANA Digital Gate officials say, adding that their priority is to ensure the delivery of services safely to their customers.

Speaking further about their plan of facial recognition use, Kobayashi says “we want to incorporate facial recognition into all procedures, not just at boarding gates, but also when renting a car after arrival,” or making payments at restaurants, souvenir stores or at sightseeing venues. They also talked about the iris recognition modality which, they believe, can be easier for customer authentication.

The officials say other than the hospitality and tourism sectors, the use of facial recognition has proven vital in facilitating certain operations such as searches in disaster scenarios, and businesses should make the most of it.

Article Topics

airports  |  ANA Digital Gate  |  biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  Hitachi  |  hospitality  |  pilot project