Abu Dhabi theme parks get facial recognition – but how will it cope with masks?

DUBAI: Abu Dhabi theme parks will soon use facial recognition technology for arriving visitors.
The technology will allow visitors to Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld and Warner Bros World to enter the parks quickly and pay their tickets by having their faces scanned. It will also be available in some restaurants and retail shops across the parks.
But the technology will not see through masks, a spokesperson confirmed to Arab News.  Instead visitors would need to pull down their coverings momentarily for it to work reliably.
Businesses particularly those that require physical interaction with customers, have been trying to circumvent the lasting impact of COVID-19 by introducing contactless technology in their operations – one of which is facial recognition.
Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld and Warner Bros World, located in the capital’s Yas Island, will be the first in the region to adopt FacePass technology, the island’s operator Miral said.
The pandemic has also posed new challenges for the developers of facial recognition algorithms with significant advances being made since the start of the pandemic more than a year ago.
Japanese company NEC is one developer that has created a system that it says can reliably identify people wearing masks. It focuses on parts of the face that are not covered up such as the eyes.
Yas Islands’ face recognition system will not have this capacity, Miral confirmed, but the company said the island is on track to become a “fully contactless destination” with this new initiative.
“This kind of contactless technology is the future for all consumer-facing businesses. It largely enhances guest safety and wellbeing through touchless interaction, ensuring world-class safety measures and ease of social distancing,” Mohamed Abdalla Al-Zaabi, chief executive officer of Miral, added.