Published: 18th April 2008
Written by: OLN News Desk
A security firm is testing a facial recognition device in a Budgens store to see how the technology could help in the fight against under-age sales.
If the trial is successful, OmniPerception will be making the device - which is used by police and the security sector - available to the wider retail industry.
According to the company, images of customers are scanned in-store and checked against a list of known offenders. Any images that aren't recognised are stored and pooled with other stores.
"This will enable retailers to gauge almost instantly if the person they are serving is under-age," the company claimed.
David McIntosh, chief executive of OmniPerception, said: "This is a truly unique project that we hope will help convenience store owners demonstrate they take a responsible attitude towards serving under-age children."
Charlie Willetts, managing director of software provider Charton, added:
"The technology is the first of its kind in the world and has taken years of planning."