The new release of USDX Wallet app introduces Touch ID and Face ID options for smooth and easy access to your account. We’re looking into the most interesting use cases of facial recognition technology.

Lewis Carroll was among the pioneers who tried Touch ID/Face ID technology in “Through The Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There”, in 1871. Let’s see who followed his footsteps.

The technology was more or less around since the 1960s (ok, that Lewis Carroll reference was a bit of a stretch), but it started to get wider application just recently. We compiled the most creative and exciting examples of its usage.

To start a car

Car companies never shy away from new technologies. Among use cases for facial recognition in this industry are: replacing keys as a means to start a car, to change radio stations and seat preferences; as a safety option to alert a driver when he/she drifts off or not focusing on the road. These features were showcased at CES 2018.

To diagnose a rare disease

Healthcare is another industry where latest tech developments are greatly improving experiences of all parties involved. Facial recognition, for example, can help in diagnosing a rare medical conditions and genetic diseases, like DiGeorge syndrome. The symptoms are hard to detect; moreover, they vary by ethnicity. That’s when the technology comes in handy. This initiative was introduced by the National Human Genome Research Institute.

To adhere to a medication

Medication non-compliance — when a patient fails to follow the prescription plan — is a serious problem for healthcare. In fact, it leads to growing numbers of avoidable hospital admissions. AiCure company started its research in this field in 2010 and came up with a pilot study of its solution in 2017. The tracking algorithm is performed via an app which has three functions: to identify a patient, to identify the prescribed drug and to confirm if the drug was actually ingested.

To protect a privacy

This one sounds a bit contradictory, isn’t it? And it’s coming from Snapchat. The company is looking for new option ce to protect users’ privacy. Facial recognition could be used to scan photos and decide where to refuse sharing an image or to automatically cover the face (this concerns very sensitive cases, like pictures of children etc). In fact, Snapchat has recently filed a patent, which describes the usage of facial recognition within the app.

To pay online

This one is very straightforward: scanning your face instead of all that usual hassle — creating an account, adding addresses, filing in credit card data etc. Alibaba and MasterCard are looking into this opportunity. MasterCard’s method is called “Selfie Pay”. Again, very self-explanatory.

To order food

KFC China applies AI and facial recognition to predict customers’ orders. A single glance at the screen is enough to build recommendations based on the gender, age and… mood. The technology is also able to recognize “loyal” (repeat) customers and recall their ordering history. That’s very handy when you’re on a run or on a short lunch break.

There are also numerous working examples of face recognition technology usage to increase levels of security, decrease numbers of thefts at stores, organize more efficient and cost-effective events and marketing campaigns. And, once you’re finished re-reading that Lewis Carroll book, re-watch The Matrix. There is Jarvis Facial Recognition Test, you know.