Our technological advancements are incredible but it’s easy to forget this when one amazing breakthrough is quickly followed by another. So, we’ve written this article to reflect on what cool technology has been made in recent years which helps to improve security. Read on to find out what they are.
1.) Facial Recognition
Facial recognition used to be a fictitious form of technology, but nowadays it’s widely available on things like mobile phones and security systems. It works by using biometrics to scan a person’s face from either an image or a video. From here, it maps out their features and compares them to a database, which should lead to a match. Facial recognition is great for access control, where only authorised persons can enter the premises or extract a resource. It’s also currently being developed for security cameras, so perpetrators caught on video can be identified.
2.) Smart Cards
Who would have thought that a small little card could carry so much information? Certainly not people who were alive before the 1960s. Smart cards have been thoroughly integrated into society with the invention of credit and debit cards, but their uses have grown exponentially from their banking roots. You can now use a contactless smart card for printing, catering, computer security, building and premises access and so on. Organisations across the world utilise this adaptable piece of technology for myriad use cases. For example, public transport like the New York City Subway uses the MetroCard. Among other things, smart cards are primarily used for access control, two-factor authentication, identification and storing data like credit.
3.) Fingerprint Scans
Fingerprint scanning is another nifty piece of technology which nobody bats an eyelid at nowadays, even though it used to be considered revolutionary. Fingerprint scans are another biometric security system which analyses the tiny grooves on a person’s finger, documents the patterns, and compares them to a large database in order find a match if one exists. As each fingerprint is unique and distinct, this means fingerprint scans are highly accurate – much more so than facial recognition. They’ve been implemented onto most Smartphone access systems, so only those with a recognised fingerprint are able to access the device.
4.) Voice Recognition
Voice recognition is incredibly cool and used for a whole host of purposes aside from security. It works by recording a sample of a person’s voice, digitalising it and then breaking it down into distinct segments where different tones are identified. From this, a ‘voiceprint’ can be created. So, when the person speaks into the device, it will recognise them and give them access. Once again, Smartphones have made great use of this technology, as too have artificial intelligence devices such as like Alexa. Who knows what technology might come next to improve safety and security? We personally can’t wait to see which one of our science fiction dreams turn into a reality.
