How 3D Face Authentication Can Improve Auto Safety
Elon Musk may be Thomas Edison and Henry Ford rolled into one, but even captains of industry stumble occasionally. And so it was that the Tesla CEO recently presided over an investor call that CNBC called “strange” and Bloomberg labeled “bizarre.”
One major topic that set him off was the issue of automotive safety as regards his cars specifically and autonomous vehicles in general. Musk bristled at questions related to how accident prone Tesla cars might be on the road. His rant – which blasted overregulation and the media for sensationalizing Tesla crashes – was quite blunt:
"And how many [car crashes] do you read about? Basically, none of them. However – but, if it's an autonomous situation, it's headline news...It's really outrageous."
Elon Musk may be prickly, but he’s also right. Autonomous cars do get undue attention when one is involved in an accident. That’s why manufacturers of self-driving cars need to take every possible precaution to protect driver and passenger safety. It’s not just a moral issue - it’s a marketing one, too. This is where 3D facial recognition technologies can play a vital role.
The most important contribution that 3D face recognition can play in the future of mobility is to help ensure drivers are operating their vehicles properly. Several highly publicized accidents involved people at the wheel who weren’t looking at the road. That may be illegal, but the press attention (as Musk said during his call) focused on the cars, not the operators. Facial recognition tools can monitor drivers to make sure they’re complying with the law. Today’s 3D technology can check on a driver’s alertness, where their eyes are focused - and all in real time. This data lets the vehicle determine potential risk quickly and then deliver a range of warnings or alerts that could be life saving.
3D face authentication can also deliver value even before the car even starts moving. After all, a key or fob can be copied or stolen...but a face is forever. The trick, of course, is to make sure that it’s also foolproof - impervious to masks, photos, or other common spoofs. Today’s AI-driven software and tiny, accurate 3D cameras make this all possible.
So while Elon Musk certainly has a point, we need to keep in mind that today there are many options for improving driver and passenger safety, even those riding in a Tesla. Maybe incorporating 3D face recognition technology into his cars would help Mr. Musk be less grumpy on the next earnings call.