iPhone 8 Could Read Your Face In 3D Space
Analysts suggest that this year, Apple will utilize PrimeSense technology to add a new way to unlock the iPhone. A research note distributed to clients by Cowen and Company on Wednesday suggested that the next iPhone could be released with some "form of facial/gesture recognition." They added that this technology would rely on "a new laser sensor and an infrared sensor mounted near the front-facing camera." This leads us to believe that Apple is making use of technology cultivated by PrimeSense.
PrimeSense was acquired by Apple back in the year 2013. Since then we've heard very little about the company's doings. Before the company was acquired, they released a video which showed a number of gesture-based controls for products like robot vacuums, projectors, and other oddities. This video also showed the following clip (repeated several times here because it's so extremely short).
The full clip is shown below, presented before Apple acquired PrimeSense. Notice the other uses for PrimeSense technology that I can't believe Apple would latch on to at this point in history. The rest of these ideas are either either too crazy or too specific to one use-case.
In the shorter clip, PrimeSense technology is used to detect the face of a woman at a door. Where past facial recognition technology was able to be fooled by a flat photo, this PrimeSense technique wouldn't. Here, Apple would be able to guarantee that an iPhone could not be unlocked without the actual owner looking into the device's camera and/or scanner array, and possibly moving their head back and forth.
No other device exists on the consumer market today with this level of personal security in three dimensions. The only possible negative element here is the possibility of a person scanning someone's face while they're asleep or dead. That might be a point of argument against its true level of security.
It's neat – it's magical – it's something that wouldn't be too difficult for most people to understand how to use. This feature seems to me to be a really good bet for an iPhone in the near future. Not because it's super spectacular or a reason to buy the phone on its own, but because it's something no other phone has AND wouldn't be too difficult for Apple to rely on everyday consumers to understand and use. Have a peek below at our recent timeline of iPhone 8 possibilities.
VIA: Business Insider