A Chinese university is using facial recognition technology to deter students from slacking off, it is reporting.
A Chinese university is using facial recognition technology to deter students from slacking off, it is reporting.
Students arriving for Mr Shen’s class are seen trying the new system.
According to Beijing News, students in six classes at the Communications University of China in the eastern city of Nanjing are being told to stand in front of an interactive screen when they arrive for lectures.
They have their photos taken, which are then matched against those in the university’s database within a couple of seconds. The device is highly accurate at identifying students by their appearance, even if they change their hair or wear makeup.
Professor Shen says the system still recognizes students if they wear makeup or change their hair.
Professor Shen Hao says it has proven effective in helping lecturers to identify students who regularly skip classes.
“The new system saves time and reduces the workload of teachers,” he adds, noting that the system is a shift from the traditional paper registers used in Chinese universities.
Photo: Sohu
One student in Mr Shen’s class tells Beijing News that it’s a “novel idea”, and another says: “It’s quite convenient; our teacher doesn’t need to do a register.”
But there is some concern online about the introduction of such technology into schools.
“This is just so… weird, I hope our school doesn’t copy it,” says one user of the popular Weibo microblog. Many online commentators say they feel lucky that they have already graduated.
Source: BBC
