Facial Recognition and Technology evolving  

Mary-Anne Bowring, group managing director of Ringley adds that social attitudes about facial recognition are changing and she believes this will lead to even greater take up of the technology in the future. In March, the firm launched its white-label co-working platform Busy Living at its flexible office location Camden Gateway. Access to the 154-desk co-working space relies on the technology.

Bowring says she finds having building access attached to your mobile phone is too slow, as it takes time to get it out and “the phone could be dead”. When it comes to barriers to adoption of the technology, Bowring says social attitudes fall far behind the difficulty in finding a supplier. Ringley conducted a focus group on the technology’s public perception and found it to be positive. However, out of 20 suppliers that Ringley initially tried, “only one had the competence, contacts and experience that could help us,” she says. “It took us several months to track down and test some prototypes.” Eventually, Ringley found Stanley Security Systems, which offered barriers that incorporated facial recognition technology.

At 22 Bishopsgate, the Smart Spaces app will interface with Ayonix FaceID technology and several contractors are involved in setting it up. Fast adopters Bowring acknowledges that high-quality facial recognition systems can be expensive. At a single point of entry, Bowring notes that the camera alone costs £700 per month on a three- to five-year lease. “Even if you bought the equipment outright, there would still be a subscription for the software,” she adds.