Chinese school uses facial recognition system to ensure even forgetful kids get fed
Hi-tech gadgetry installed in response to problem of 50 pupils per day failing to remember their canteen cards
Absent-minded pupils at a middle school in eastern China need never again worry about going hungry after management there fitted a facial recognition system in the canteen, according to a local newspaper.
The hi-tech gadgetry was installed at the No. 11 Middle School in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, ahead of the current semester in response to the growing problem of youngsters forgetting their canteen cards and therefore being unable to pay for their meals, Qianjiang Evening News reported on Friday.
According to the school, about 50 students a day would forget their cards, the report said. But that is no longer a problem as all the children need now do to get themselves a meal is look in the camera.
The machine takes about a second to scan each person’s face, before displaying what they have ordered and how much it will cost. If everything is in order, the child simply presses the “Confirm” button and their canteen account is automatically debited, the report said.
The school said the system had proven so successful that it was now planning to install similar equipment in classrooms to monitor the pupils’ attendance.