Story ID: 142FlightDisplaySee3AINDec2012EditedByAY_NM.doc
Your Face Is Your Ticket
By: AIN Staff
Caption: 
Word Count: 327
Flight Display Systems has been demonstrating a new computer facial-recognition system–See3–that it believes will add a new level of protection to owners and operators concerned with aircraft security, in addition to creating a more complete cabin service.

See3 is based on Linus Fast Access facial-recognition software but adds Flight Display’s own proprietary and expanding set of algorithms. The hardware consists of two main components–the camera and computer–both of which already have FAA parts manufacturer approval.

Placed at the entrance to the aircraft, the system elevates aircraft security by comparing the faces of those entering the airplane with a known database and alerting the crew of the entry of any unauthorized person.

See3 uses nearly 100,000 values to code a face image. Among the less complex of these are the obvious inter-ocular distance, distance between nose tip and eyes and the ratio of dimensions of the bounding box of the face. At this point, accuracy is between 75 and 90 percent, but Flight Display continues to add algorithms to improve on this.

Depending on the size of the database, said Flight Display founder and president David Gray, changes in hair style or the addition of a moustache or beard, glasses or makeup will not affect the accuracy of the system. While aircraft security is important, he added, See3 can also trigger passengers’ cabin preferences.

Integrated into the aircraft cabin management system, he explained, it can “recognize” a person via the seat camera, greet them by name and automatically load that person’s entertainment preferences, set preferred lighting and even alert the crew to the person’s meal preferences and any allergies. “It creates a far more individualized environment than ever,” said Gray.

Flight Display has priced the hardware at $9,275 initially, with additional programming charges still to be determined. See3 could be available in next year’s second quarter, said Gray.