The Future Is Here Today...Robots, Genetics, AI, Longevity, Singularity

New Study Shows Your Ability To Recognize Faces is Genetic

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by Aaron Saenz on March 12th, 2010

Scientists at the University College of London, Harvard University, and elsewhere have discovered that not only is the part of your brain responsible for recognizing faces different than the part that recognizes words or art, it is highly effected by your genes. Dr. Brad Duchaine (UCL) and colleagues studied nearly 300 twins (identical and fraternal) by giving them a series of recognition tests. On the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT), identical twins had scores that correlated very well – 0.7, while non-identical twins had a much lower correlation – 0.29. Similar tests for word and abstract art recognition did not show such high correlations. According to their paper published in PNAS, researchers think facial recognition is an unusual phenomenon, a “highly specific cognitive ability that is highly heritable.” This research could lead to a search for those facial recognition genes, possibly in pursuit of a treatment for prosopagnosia and related conditions. Just as importantly, it sheds light on how our genes shape our brain mechanisms, and how we might be able to alter/improve those mechanisms through genetic manipulation.

CFMT sample

Which of the faces on the right match the one on the left? Questions like this helped researchers determine that you inherit your ability to accuractely recognize faces.

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Facial Recognition Door Lock and Time Clock for Less than $500

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by Aaron Saenz on December 29th, 2009
Forgot to punch your time clock? Don't worry, your face did it for you.

Forgot to punch your time clock? Don't worry, your face did it for you.

Ditch the keys and throw away the time cards, now all you need is your face. Wholesale electronics giant Chinavision is offering a facial recognition door lock for around $465. The device uses two night vision equipped cameras to recognize up to 500 faces from 2D photographs, and transmit information via USB or ethernet port. Once it recognizes someone the facial recognition system can unlock a door and/or record the arrival of an individual (up to 150,000 such records can be stored). Chinavision is promoting the device as a replacement for time clocks at businesses, able to record access to restricted areas or keep track of employee attendance. It’s not clear how easy it is to defeat this device, so I wouldn’t wire it to your front door just yet. Still, if cheap facial recognition proves itself, we could see it replacing traditional locks in the year ahead. Check out more photos of the facial recognition door lock after the break.

Facial Recognition (FR) technology is already in use in government run security checks. While FR seems well suited to surveillance and restricting access, we’ve also recently seen it gain popularity on Facebook as a way to augment social networking. Right now, I certainly trust it more in the latter than I do the former. FR checks are only as good as the original images with which they are calibrated. London airports (and others) are often comparing against passport photos. The device from Chinavision also uses 2D images. While using two cameras and applying some careful stereography will keep FR from being tricked by a photo cut out from a magazine, the technique is far from fool proof. If facial recognition gains popularity, we may see a push for ID cards to contain 3D scans of our features to provide extra security. Still, while humans naturally focus on faces, other biometrics (finger prints, ear scans) may be a better avenue for tracking our identity. It’s still unclear which kinds of scans, or combinations of them, will form the security check of the future, but you can bet it will involve using your body as its own ID. Carrying around strangely shaped pieces of metal can’t last forever.

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Disturbingly Real Replicants from Hanson Robotics

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by Aaron Saenz on July 17th, 2009

If Disney’s Hall of Presidents upset you, if Chuck E. Cheese and his friends frighten you, if the TV show Dinosaurs gave you nightmares – don’t read this post! Hanson Robotics is in the business of creating life-like animatronic faces and they’ve gotten disturbingly real. Complex emotions play across the visages of these robotic replicants and if you’re not careful you’ll soon buy into their reality. Check out the videos of Hanson’s creations after the break.

What makes a robot smile?

What makes a robot smile?

Dr. David Franklin Hanson, Jr , the founder of Hanson Robotics, owes much of his success to Frubber. Frubber is a revolutionary material with a porous structure that allows it to move similarly to human tissue. Previously used materials were too heavy and too stiff. Using Frubber, Hanson can create a wide range of realistic facial expressions while cutting the need for powerful actuators. Typical applications using Frubber consume more than 20 times less power than with traditional materials. A realistic face and neck can run for hours using just a few AA batteries.

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