Let’s face it ... the future is looking up for locked cars

Genesis has announced its upcoming GV60 will debut face recognition technology to unlock the car.

Genesis is a luxury subbrand of Hyundai and the GV60 is a striking new battery-electric coupe crossover to be launched soon. Apart from a promised driving range of about 480km, one of its key features is “face connect” technology which allows the vehicle to recognise human faces to unlock its doors without needing a key.

It means a preregistered driver need only walk towards the car for the doors to unlock, and is a potential solution to the problem of key fobs being scanned by car thieves.

Among the other conveniences of the technology are automatic adjustment of the seat to a driver’s preferred position and tuning in to their favourite radio station.

As a backup users can start the car using their fingerprints.

BETTER SECURITY

Aside from offering better security and never having to worry where you left your car keys, it frees up owners to partake in activities that risk damage or loss to the key, such as water sports. To gain access you only need the new tech to identify who you are.

It opens up possibilities in achieving pseudocognitive capabilities for cars. For instance, the vehicle has ascertained that you are the rightful owner and moments later the in-car cameras can also detect your mood or whether you are inebriated, with a variety of countermeasures at the ready.

Hyundai brand cousin Kia is working on multimodal recognition technology, which scans various parts of the body including facial muscles, and monitors breathing and heart rates to master Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving. Using cameras, ultrasonic waves and radar sensors to grasp the physical and emotional state of the occupants in real-time, it provides customised lighting, music, seat vibrations and scents to rejuvenate the driver’s mood.

Facial recognition is the latest step in finding more secure and convenient alternatives to traditional key fobs. Other systems include doors that recognise QR codes and Bluetooth on your smartphone to open or lock your car.