Chinese Police Test Gait-Recognition Technology That Identifies People Based on How They Walk (scmp.com) 93
You can tell a lot of things from the way someone walks. Chinese artificial intelligence start-up Watrix says its softwares can identify a person from 50 meters away -- even if they have covered their face or have their back to a camera -- making it more than a match for Sherlock Holmes. From a report: Known as gait recognition, the technology works by analyzing thousands of metrics about a person's walk, from body contour to the angle of arm movement to whether a person has a toe-in or toe-out gait, to then build a database. "With facial recognition people need to look into a camera -- cooperation is not needed for them to be recognized [by our technology]," said Huang Yongzhen, co-founder and chief executive of Watrix, in an interview in Beijing. Features like this have given Watrix an edge in catching runaway criminals, who tend to avoid surveillance, said Huang. Police on the streets of Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, have already run trials of gait recognition technology, said Huang, and the company officially launched its 2.0 version last week, which supports analysis of real-time camera feeds at a mega-city level.
One small problem... (Score:2)
What if your subject wears a long (floor-length) dress with large sleeves? I suspect this will become a fashion thing before long if this takes off...
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(...times like this I wish I had mod points, if only to give a fellow graybeard some recognition for dragging that one out of the mists of time. Cheers!)
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This wizard would not be hard to identify by his gait: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
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The jokes in them because I always put on a fake limp when I commit crimes!!! It's the perfect disguise...
Is that you, Keyser Soze?
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Ministry of Silly Walks (Score:5, Funny)
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Is the organization in charge called the Miistry of Silly Walks?
Close
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How about "Wok Like An Egyptian"?
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It's right next to the Ministry of Silly Typos. (Yes, I know, I go their often.)
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Yúchn xíngzu bù (Score:1)
This new ministry shall be known as
Or the Ministry of Silly Walks.
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Over there it's "Ministry of Silly Woks".
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You mean foodist. (I've been to a foodist temple.)
This is how I used to do it (Score:2)
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My wife can do the same thing with people she knows. She can find me in a crowd even when she's too short to see over it, and doesn't know what I'm wearing, by crouching down and looking for my gait across the room, just on glimpses of me between the forest of legs.
Impressively, she once identified a first cousin, once removed, of mine that I didn't know anything about (on the less close side of my family) based entirely on gait and how he used his hands while walking/talking (he was her professor); it was
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I had a similar problem, and used the number of times they punched me to know.
Drug sniffing dogs (Score:2)
If you walk without rhythim (Score:2)
you won't attract the police?
Putting the west to shame (Score:3)
Re:Putting the west to shame (Score:5, Insightful)
That is one of the disturbing things about these stories. People get wrapped up in the technology and forget that it will be used by a Fascist Communist Dictatorship to further oppress its citizens.
It is providing a ready made "1984" template for when the majority finally acquiesce to the idea of safety over personal liberties.
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Funnily enough, gait recognition is directly mentioned in Cory Doctorow's Book, Little Brother, which is based around the theme of living in a police state. The main character avoids the gait detection in his school by sticking rocks in his shoes.
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I just read that book ( meh), and thought the same thing when reading this story.
Put a stone in your shoe ... (Score:2)
and you will walk differently.
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That is more difficult than you think.
Or why do you think people who have an unhealthy walking style don't change it?
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Yes, or put a brace around ankle or knee.
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Unbreakable dictatorship (Score:1)
The next dictatorship will be unbreakable.
But don't worry, it is a BENEVOLENT dictatorship forcing upon us a world without hate and bigotry. Not wanting to become subjects is hate. Not wanting to participate in all the nice do-goodery is bigotry. Also, only literal Nazis oppose our benevolent stewardship of the free world.
To beautify our wonderful diverse city of peace, I kindly ask you to PICK UP THAT CAN, CITIZEN
CIA former head of disguise has the answer (Score:1)
Re: CIA former head of disguise has the answer (Score:2, Interesting)
As various remote sensing technologies improve, reduce in cost and become more pervasive coupled with improvements in pattern recognition techniques, I supect public disguise will become nearly pretty much impossible. Regulating this stuff and enforcing regulations with hefty penalties will be the only real solution for public privacy.
As many popular dystopian works people have been exposed to, I'm surprised more people aren't up in arms to prevent private entities from doing the same in the US.
Assuming ste
Might catch some people (Score:2)
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They'll know that I'm a woman's man, which is fine by me.
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They'll know that I'm a woman's man, which is fine by me.
Might have a lot of false positives on Egyptians though.
What I find interesting. (Score:2)
There are so many ways of spying and identifying people. But when you need to fill out Bureaucratic papers, it is like you never have existed before today, and you have mountains of papers to fill out just to prove that you do exist.
Pushback (Score:2)
Expect Many False Positives (Score:1)
We're already seeing false positives with license plate reading technology and numbers seem to me to be more identifiable visually than slight differences in gait or posture.
But the police will have a warm body to throw in prison so I guess it will "work" whether or not it actually works.
Winnie -- Sandworm (Score:2)
I guess it's time to update all the memes. Out with Winnie the Pooh, in with the Sandworm of Arrakis.
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If you walk without rhythm, you won't attract the worm.
How will they link the gait to the person? (Score:2)
I predict that fashion will adapt to mass surveillance and people will start to dress and make-up in a variety of ways intended to thwart automated ID and tracking systems. Fake beards, mustaches, eye patches, sunglasses, makeup, mixed shoes (platform on one foot, sandal on the other, etc.), leg braces, walking sticks, surgical masks, hats that cover different parts of the face, etc.
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They have to identify you before they can lower your score.
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Microstrut (Score:1)
Bill Gaits is running the project.
Weapon of choice (Score:2)
Remember: if you walk without rythm, you won’t attract the worm.
Phil! (Score:2)
Only thing about me is the way I walk ... [youtube.com]
Wizards always win (Score:2)
Robes and large hooded reversible cloaks with modifiable attachments (shoulders, masks) ftw!
See, the thing is, you actually think the Ministry of Silly Walks didn't exist.
Wonder what they would do with the Curly Shuffle (Score:2)
The Chinese police know... (Score:2)
...you're a woman's man, no time to talk.