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Sunday, June 21, 2020

Technologies for Face Recognition in Access Control

Technologies for Face Recognition in Access Control

In the 1960s, Woodrow Wilson Bledsoe developed a system that could classify photos of faces called facial recognition. Identifying human faces in digital images has variety of applications, from biometrics and healthcare to video surveillance and security. In psychological terms, face identification is a process through which humans locate and attend to faces in a visual scene.
One can consider face detection as a specific case of object class detection. A reliable methodology is based on the eigen-face technique and the genetic algorithm.

Rather than just simply telling you about the basic techniques, we would like to introduce some efficient face recognition algorithms (open source) from latest researches and projects.

  • OpenFace
  • OpenBR
  • SphereFace
  • Deep Face Recognition with Caffe Implementation
  • Android Face Recognition with Deep Learning

8 from China, where facial recognition has received the most significant recent support:

  1. Dahua: "interest but not adoption"
  2. Facego: Big parent company, poor marketing
  3. Hikvision: Downplayed
  4. Longse: Fac Rec "Just for Show"
  5. Qualvision: "Frank Comments on NDAA, Face Rec Hype"
  6. Sunell: Bold Claims
  7. TVT: "that's gonna piss our customers off"
  8. ZKTeco: Claims World’s Best Facial Recognition, Calls Hikvision “Cheap Chinese”
Note: China's most prominent facial recognition providers, SenseTime, Megvii Face++, and Yitu.

12 outside of China, mostly US, with one each from Australia, Japan, Russia, South Korea and Taiwan:

  1. Avycon: ''It Can Detect A Face"
  2. Axxonsoft: Frank Comments on 'Accuracy' Ratings
  3. Ayonix: Emphasis on Speed
  4. Ever AI: Positions Itself as China/Russia Competitor
  5. Deepcam: Selling $59 'Facial Recognition' Cams
  6. Faceron: Obscure Operations
  7. Geovision: 3D Face Map and Gender Recommendations
  8. iOmniscient: "20x Cheaper", Touts Chinese Army as Client
  9. Panasonic: 'We Beat NEC'
  10. Real Networks / SAFR: US Based Facial Recognition for Schools Solution
  11. Tough Dog: Tough Time Selling Face Rec Solutions
  12. Virdi: World's Best / No Evidence

Suprema has a facial recognition reader called facestation 2 and also had a new face lite which was introduced in 2019. Idemia VisionPass uses visual cameras, IR, and '3D' Time-of-Flight sensors to establish face 'liveness' and scan faces to verify users. VisionPass unit supports IR scanning, capacity for more user templates, and is compatible with OSDP. Idemia pricing is higher, often 2X to 3X higher for VisionPass compared to facial recognition models emerging from China.
1- There are two main technologies for Face Recognition:
Optical solutions (CCTV based): these are based on algorithm/pixel performance only. It can be used as black listing (Stadium, Retail, Vandalism) but it is not enough for white listing (i.e.: access control).
Infra Red Solutions (Suprema and others): these are based on Light emission + IR sensors + Algorithm + processing power. Advantage of IR are: distance 15cm to 1.5m (it filters background and all related issues), works in any light conditions (unlike CCTV that can take a face with sun from the side), makeup/painting on face, Face Face/Images detection (easier than Optical). These ones are safe enough to be used for white listing (=access control).

2- FaceLite is working same as Suprema FaceStation2, with Infra-Red templates (it's compatible).
Cool stuff: FaceLite is 43% smaller (size) than FaceStation2, and the price follow the same 43% off trend. That brings the Flite IR face recognition reader to the price of Fingerprint reader (= BioLite Net : BLN2-OAB). But still you have the high performance/reliability/security. No sacrifice on this!

Limitation: Face template is too big to be encoded on a card (>8KB) and Suprema Face Models are "evolutive" (maching learning: each time you check your face on a reader, it is updated). The related drawback is that Face cannot be stored on RFID cards (EV1/EV2 / Seos). Instead it is stored in Central Database or in Reader itself (my preference). The # of face models are limited to 3,000 (1:N, Identification) and to 30,000 (1:1, Verification, that case you need to swipe a card or input an ID before authentication). Compared to FaceStation2 (FS2), you also lose the second optical camera (that I like for user interface or Picture logs), you lose the large touch screen, you lose Android OS, you lose the Video Intercom possibility. But that's in line with the 43% off in price point!

Privacy: Face templates are stored on central server (encryption: AES 256) or on readers (AES 128), with possible "Tamper secure" option => if the reader is removed from wall, it factory resets and loses all memory (Users, Face Models, Logs, Encryption keys, ..). Face Models are being transported from Central Server <=> Readers via TCP, using TLS 1.2 encryption/certificate.

Product Name

FaceStation 2
FaceLite
Model Name

FS2-D
FS2-AWB
FL-DB
RFID
RF Option
125kHz EM & 13.56MHz MIFARE, MIFARE Plus, DESFire/EV1, FeliCa
125kHz EM, HID Prox & 13.56MHz MIFARE, MIFARE Plus, DESFire/EV1, FeliCa, iCLASS SE/SR/Seos
125kHz EM & 13.56MHz MIFARE, MIFARE Plus, DESFire/EV1, FeliCa
Mobile Card
NFC
NFC, BLE
NFC, BLE
Protection
Ingress Protection
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
Vandal Proof
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
Face
Template
SUPREMA
SUPREMA
SUPREMA
Extractor / Matcher
SUPREMA
SUPREMA
SUPREMA
Live Face Detection
Supported
Supported
Supported
Capacity
Users (1:1)
* Based on one face enrollment per user
30,000
30,000
30,000
Users (1:N)
* Based on one face enrollment per user
3,000
3,000
3,000
Max. Face Enrollment per User
5
5
5
Text Log
50,00,000
50,00,000
50,00,000
Image Log
50,000
50,000
Not supported
HW
CPU
1.4 GHz Quad Core
1.4 GHz Quad Core
1.2GHz Quad Core
Memory
8GB Flash + 1GB RAM
8GB Flash + 1GB RAM
8GB Flash + 1GB RAM
LCD Type
4” color TFT LCD
4” color TFT LCD
2” color TFT LCD
LCD Resolution
800 x 480 pixels
800 x 480 pixels
320x240 pixels
Sound
24 bit Voice DSP (echo cancellation)
24 bit Voice DSP (echo cancellation)
24 bit Voice DSP
Operating Temperature
-20°C ~ 50°C
-20°C ~ 50°C
-20°C ~ 50°C
Storage Temperature
-40°C ~ 70°C
-40°C ~ 70°C
-40°C ~ 70°C
Operating Humudity
0% ~ 80%,
non-condensing
0% ~ 80%,
non-condensing
0% ~ 80%,
non-condensing
Storage Humidity
0% ~ 90%,
non-condensing
0% ~ 90%,
non-condensing
0% ~ 90%,
non-condensing
Weight
Device: 548g
Bracket: 74g (Including washer and bolt)
Device: 548g
Bracket: 74g (Including washer and bolt)
Device: 296 g
Bracket: 41 g (Including washer and bolt)
Dimension (WxHxD, mm)
141 x 164 x 125
141 x 164 x 125
80 x 160.3 x 71.8
Tamper
Supported
Supported
Supported
Interface
Wi-Fi
Not supported
Built-in, IEEE 802.11 b/g
Not supported
Ethernet
10/100/1000 Mbps, auto MDI/MDI-X
10/100/1000 Mbps, auto MDI/MDI-X
10/100 Mbps, auto MDI/MDI-X
RS-485
1ch Host or Slave (Selectable)
1ch Host or Slave (Selectable)
1ch Host or Slave (Selectable)
Wiegand
1ch Input, 1ch Output
1ch Input, 1ch Output
1ch Input or Output (Selectable)
TTL Input
2ch Inputs
2ch Inputs
2ch Inputs
Relay
1 Relay
1 Relay
1 Relay
USB
USB 2.0 (Host)
USB 2.0 (Host)
USB 2.0 (Host)
SD Card
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
PoE
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
Intercom
Supported
Supported
Not supported
Electrical
Power
Voltage: DC 24 V
Current: Max. 2.5 A
Voltage: DC 24 V
Current: Max. 2.5 A
Voltage: DC 24 V
Current: Max. 2.5 A
Platform
BioStar 2
Supported
Supported
Supported