Facial recognition is on track to replace passports in Australia

Not too often do we hear from the lads “down under”. But, now they have an innovation to share with the world.

They call it the Seamless Traveler

Basically, Australia believes that passports are a thing of the past; that your identity can be boiled down to a facial, iris, and fingerprint recognition scan because as far as I know you can’t fake all three.

They have two goals to achieve with the Seamless Traveler. One, they want to make the security process for International travelers easier (probably to increase tourism). Two, they want to be able to isolate high-risk travelers more efficiently, so guys like Jason Bourne would have a hard time getting through security with one of their dozen fraudulent passport identities.

Although, it’s not the first time Australia has tried to change airport security

About 15 years ago, Brisbane Airport installed the first SmartGate, which was kind of like walking through a subway gate except you had to present forms of ID. They weren’t a huge hit outside of Australia, which is why they are now becoming obsolete to the flashier Seamless Traveler.

This time they plan to get it right

By 2020, the government wants a system in place that can process over 90 percent of travelers automatically, with no human involvement. Sounds a bit lofty, but eh, just “throw another shrimp on the barbie” and all will be well.

They passed a law in 2015 that allowed them to collect more biometric data from citizens and foreigners at airport security, which includes fingerprints, photos, audio, video, iris scans, and your height and weight. So, they’ve been collecting traveler data for a little while, and a lot of the SmartGate data is transferrable.

I’m hoping they’ll convince the convenient airport McDonald’s and Cinnabon to implement a brain scan before you order, foreseeing and notifying you if you will later regret your decision.

It’s a step in the right direction

The Seamless Traveler gives us a quick look into the future of airports, where security isn’t the only thing that will transform.

Airports are one of the few places you still have to be physically present, which is a huge plus for retailers. Amazon and Walmart are on the brink of destroying malls for good. When having a mall storefront no longer makes financial sense, retailers will race to buy terminal storefront to maintain human interaction with their customers.

The entire airport experience will take on a more luxurious connotation, making travel much more enjoyable, and more lucrative for companies.

Personally, I travel a lot and can’t wait for this futuristic airport, and often find myself thinking about how technology can be utilized across different scenarios. That’s why I created Quick Theories--a brief, weekly newsletter with my thoughts on modern technology, how it’ll affect your life, and why you should adapt to certain changes in your own creative way.

For example, my most recent article explained how the car industry is making the same mistakes cell phones made in the early 2000s. If you are interested in a weekly article like this, you should sign-up here: quicktheories.com