TOKYO - Tobu Railway has introduced walk-through facial recognition ticket gates at Ikebukuro and Kami-Itabashi stations on the Tobu Tojo Line, allowing registered commuters to enter without presenting a ticket or IC card.
Cameras installed at the gates identify passengers by their faces as they walk through, eliminating the need to take out a Suica card, other IC card or paper ticket.
The system is the first walk-through facial recognition ticket gate service to be introduced at railway stations in Tokyo.
Passengers welcomed the technology, saying it could make travel more convenient. "It is certainly impressive," one passenger said. "It would be very convenient if you could enter immediately just by having your face recognized."
Another passenger said, "It will be very convenient, and it means we will not have to carry Suica cards anymore, right?"
To use the facial recognition gates, passengers must hold a commuter pass covering a route that includes the section between Ikebukuro and Kami-Itabashi. They must also register an image of their face in advance through a dedicated website.
"We have installed the system at stations used by large numbers of passengers," said Atsushi Koganei, sales department manager at Tobu Railway's railway business headquarters. "We believe this has broadened the system's reach."
Tobu Railway plans to introduce facial recognition gates at additional stations as it works toward what it describes as a hands-free lifestyle.
Source: TBS
