To make the process simpler, the solution aims to avoid the need for a smartphone, but all one might need to do is glance at a camera before one is free to go with their shopping.
As such, Alipay has recently released its facial scanning payment product, named Dragonfly. This slashes access and installation costs for merchants by 80% compared with the previous generation. Also, seizing the potential in facial recognition payment, Tencents WeChat Pay and UnionPay, the other players on the Chinese market, are also gearing up to roll out their solutions.
One sensor projects a grid of small infrared dots onto a users face, and a camera reads the resulting pattern and generates a 3D facial map. This is compared with the registered face using a secure subsystem, which can recognise faces with glasses, clothing, makeup, and facial hair, and is even able to adapt to changes in appearance over time. However, for those who are willing to pay via facial recognition but have doubts, combined verification including setting up an additional passcode is recommended in order to boost the security of their bank accounts.
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