NEC Smart Signage System Uses Biometrics to Get Shoppers’ Demographics

NEC is getting ready to show off a number of new offerings at this week’s InfoComm16, a major AV show taking place in Las Vegas from June 8th to 10th. In addition to 4K displays and kiosk solutions, NEC will showcase a smart signage system featuring biometric scanning technology.

Called NEC Engage, it offers what the company calls “context-aware digital signage”. Incorporating Microsoft Kinect motion-sensing technology, StratosMedia Content Management Software, and NEC’s own NeoFace technology, the cloud-based solution is designed to respond to audience triggers while also offering analytics on the audience including ages, genders, and the amount of time audience members are spending in front of the signage.

It’s an evolution of technology the company showcased earlier this year at the National Retail Federation Big Show, where NEC’s NeoFace Watch was marketed largely on the basis of its even more sophisticated facial recognition capabilities. There are some indications that that kind of technology is proving increasingly popular among retailers, both for its security applications and its potential in demographic analytics. But it appears that NEC has toned it down somewhat for NeoFace Engage, with the system aimed only at gathering broad biometric data to gather more general demographic data.

To that end, it should prove impressive. Commenting in a statement, StratosMedia President Brian Hammett proclaimed NeoFace Engage to be “a natural progression of the most accurate age and gender analysis platform in the market.”

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June 6, 2016 – by Alex Perala