Tunnel to face the world's first in Dubai

The first face-recognition tunnel at Dubai Airport is scheduled to be operational from summer 2018.

According to the Verge, Dubai International Airport offers a completely new way to test passengers by going through a virtual aquarium with a face detection camera.

Specifically, the checkpoint is shaped like a tunnel, which is equipped with 80 face and iris scanners as passengers pass by.

The two sides of the tunnel can display landscape images or ad slots. When passengers pass the station, they will receive a nice trip if not violate the rules of the airport. In contrast, the system will signal the alarm with red lights and whistle for those who violate.

The test station did not deliberately hide face detection technology, even encouraging passengers to look around to increase the quality of it.

Dubai's new security tunnel. (Photo: The Verge).

"This tunnel can be considered a form of entertainment and quite new to the passenger. However, this is also a way to attract attention to enable the system to capture and store their faces with different angles, "said Gen Obaid Al Hameeri, deputy foreign ministry and the minister said to The National.

The project is being developed in partnership with Emirates Airlines. These virtual paths are expected to be first installed at Terminal 3 in the summer of 2018. Other stations will be in use by 2020.

The idea came as authorities sought to address the number of passengers arriving in Dubai each year, with an estimated 124 million people by 2020.

Facial recognition systems are increasingly used at major airports for security purposes. Delta Air Lines is using the technology to reduce the time it takes to complete the procedure. Meanwhile, airports in the US are testing a new Biometric Exit system, designed to track people who have visas when they leave the country.

In addition, there is a lot of privacy concerns as this technology is growing. Google and Facebook are facing lawsuits involving their face recognition system. There are many questions as to whether the benefits of this technology are really greater than the individual's privacy.