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Face-scanning robots could replace customs officials, border guards

If you’ve ever thought that most airport security guards seemed like interchangeable faceless robots, then this new technology won’t surprise you at all.

June 25, 2015

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​French security and electronics firm Thales has introduced a machine that can read passports, print boarding passes, scan passengers’ irises and print images of their faces that could then be shared throughout an airport. The company hopes that these robots could replace human border guards, immigration agents and airport security personnel, freeing those employees up to work elsewhere.

Other than making us feel like the least interesting characters in Minority Report, the robots can also print an encrypted version of each person’s facial scan on their boarding passes, which would allow gate agents to double-check everyone’s identity before boarding a flight. The robots could also serve as border guards, comparing the facial scan against the person’s passport picture and eliminating the need for a uniform-wearing human to sit at the Immigration desk.

Thales presented the robots and demonstrated their capabilities at the Paris Air Show last week. Manager Pascal Zenoni said:

"You would only need one [human] agent for every four or five machines. These systems can free up staff for the police and create more space in the airport."

Thales has not publicly discussed any of the the potential privacy issues that this new system could raise, such as how long the images would be stored, who would be able to access them and what other personal information might be encrypted along with the facial scans. According to The Telegraph, Thales currently makes biometric passports and ID cards for 25 countries.