In the not-too-distant future:
A mannequin could welcome you, call you by name
Facial recognition by computers were born in 1994. When Joseph Atick and two fellow mathematicians at Rockefeller University introduced themselves to a computer, a metallic voice responded, "I see Joseph… I see Paul…I see Norman."
Now, two decades later, they say it's just a matter of time until we will see the technology reach department stores and shopping malls.
"It's ready right now," says Werner Goertz, an analyst who authored a report on facial recognition by retailers, casinos, and theme parks.
According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the technology was on display at the National Retail Federation's annual Big Show in New York and at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, both held in January. Bloomberg forecasts that sales of facial-recognition hardware and software will reach $6.2 billion by 2020.
"With increasing competition from online sources, retailers have to become much smarter about how they engage consumers," says Allen Ganz, head of NEC America that markets biometrics to companies.
Picture this. As you enter one of your favorite stores, a talking mannequin greets you by name and tells you the pants that match the blouse you bought a week earlier have been marked down.
Ganz won't say which stores may be he first to roll out NeoFace. In the United States, Walmart, Giorgio Armani and Macy's are exploring or staging trials of facial recognition and other surveillance tools. The tools are being considered in Europe and Asia.