The 5cc Harrild & Sons cocktail bar in London is trialing a new facial recognition system that will help with age checks and make it easier for bartenders stay organized during a rush. The system was invented by DataSparQ, and it essentially functions as the digital version of the ticketing system at a grocery store deli counter.
So how does it work? The system tracks each person’s face as they approach the bar, and assigns each one a number so bartenders know who’s been waiting the longest. That lets the bartender know who they should serve next, ensuring that wait times are as short as possible while discouraging jostling and other rude behavior at the bar.
To speed up age checks, the tech comes equipped with age estimation capabilities that will determine whether or not a patron is over the age of 25. It will also allow drinkers to open a tab using their unique facial features rather than a credit card.
To assuage privacy concerns, any images captured by the system are deleted at the end of the night.
“When each session ends, as well as the IDs and images being deleted locally, they are also deleted from the cloud. Nothing is ever permanently stored and cannot be cross-referenced anywhere else,” said DataSparQ Managing Director John Wyllie.
DataSparQ hopes to expand to more bars and music festivals in the future. The age estimation tech is similar to Yoti’s Age Scan, which has also been used for proof of age for restricted goods like tobacco and the online (but not in-person) sale of alcohol.
Sources: Evening Standard, The Telegraph
–
August 2, 2019 – by Eric Weiss
Follow Us