Smart things October 8 news, this Thursday, Google released the new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro mobile phones to re-enable the face recognition function. Previously, due to cost and performance challenges, Google’s smartphones briefly stopped using facial recognition systems.
The Pixel 4 series mobile phones released by Google in 2019 used the infrared depth sensing device uDepth to achieve a high level of face recognition, but the performance was still not as good as Face ID.
The recognition accuracy of the face recognition function of the new Pixel 7 series phones is not comparable to the uDepth in the Pixel 4 series to a certain extent.
That’s because the face-recognition systems in Google’s new phones struggle to cope with low-light conditions and are more likely to be fooled by fake faces such as those in photos. In addition, Google officials revealed that the facial recognition feature of the Pixel 7 series phones is not secure enough to log in to apps or make payments.
▲ Google Pixel 7 series mobile phone schematic diagram
Previously, Google had severely limited facial recognition on its phones, in part because of questions about its performance with dark-skinned faces. Since Google launched the Pixel 4 series of phones in 2019, the company has spent a lot of time testing and facial recognition features, according to people familiar with the matter.
1. Google was under pressure due to Apple’s Face ID, but the development of uDepth was forced to stop production due to cost
It took Google at least a decade to get face unlock on Android phones, and when Apple released Face ID in September 2017, it put a lot of pressure on Google at the time. The accuracy of Apple’s Face ID can reach one part in a million, which is 20 times more accurate than its Touch ID fingerprint unlocking.
▲ Apple Face ID function
At the time, Google had been working to design a new face-recognition system that would work fast and wouldn’t be fooled by things like photos, sources said. Google’s engineers have considered asking users to smile or wink to prove they’re “alive” as a countermeasure to deception, but the method is clumsy and slow.
Apple’s Face ID uses a depth-sensing device called TrueDepth and an infrared camera to map the details of a person’s face, and after the release of Face ID, Google executives signed off on a study of similar technology, released in 2019 by Google’s Pixel 4 series The infrared depth-sensing device on the phone is called uDepth.
A Google official said that uDepth performed well, and even in a dark environment, the chance of unlocking a face that was not recorded on the phone was less than 1 in 50,000. But the set is expensive, and Apple sells about 240 million iPhones a year, but Google’s Pixel tops out at just a few million, preventing Google from buying parts at volume discounts like Apple does.
Google dropped uDepth in the 2020 Pixel 5 series of phones for cost reasons.
2. The probability of being cheated by face recognition on Pixel 7 series mobile phones exceeds 20%, and Google is still optimistic about fingerprint unlocking
The face unlock of the Pixel 7 series phones relies on the front camera, but unlike the previous uDepth system, it does not securely log in to apps and make payments, and its chance of being scammed exceeds 20% and exceeds 7%. safest threshold.
▲ Front view of the Pixel 7 mobile phone (Source: Jugo Mobile)
Google declined to answer some specific questions about its face recognition history, but the company responded in general terms: “Thanks to face recognition’s machine learning model, both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro have face recognition, which we use through the front camera Good facial accuracy performance is achieved.”
A Google spokesperson said that low light and sunglasses can also cause problems with face unlocking, so fingerprint unlocking is still an option.
Conclusion: Google’s face recognition cost problem is difficult to solve
Google has been researching in the field of face recognition for at least 10 years, and the 2019 Pixel 4 series mobile phones are equipped with a uDepth device, which can recognize faces more accurately even in low-light environments. But in the end, due to the low number of mobile phones issued and the high cost of product components, the face recognition function was briefly terminated.
Although the Pixel 7 series phones have face recognition, it is far less effective than previous phones with uDepth. Although Google has been researching the field of face recognition for many years, it is still difficult to install a high-level face recognition system on its mobile phones because of its low mobile phone shipments and high supply chain costs.
Source: ReutersReturn to Sohu, see more