Shenzhen Metro Testing AI Facial Recognition at Futian Station


ShekouDaily   |   March 20, 2019

In 2018, the Shenzhen Metro serviced 1.637 billion passengers. The daily average passenger flow reached 4.485 million; a 13.28% increase (excluding MTR) compared with the same period the year before.

This is a new record and greater challenges are expected as passenger flow exceeds the anticipated 5 million passengers per day. To meet these demands and challenges, the Shenzhen Metro and Huawei have joined forces to explore “5G+AI” deployment.

Since March 8th, passengers have been able to visit the “5G+AI” experience zone at the Futian Metro Station. The 5G network features ultra-high speed, large connection and ultra-low latency; which can provide high efficiency, high quality and low cost network connection for subway equipment, according to the Shenzhen Metro announcement.

For those who wish to see it, or avoid it, the experience zone is located on subfloor 1 (-1) on the south side of the Futian Transportation Hub.

Smart Subway

The Shenzhen Metro has taken the lead in launching 5G and AI technology to build a “smart subway;” including patrol robots, smart sites, facial recognition for payments and more.

Multiple subway construction projects are being built to achieve remote monitoring and real-time response using machine vision, 5G technology and the Internet of Things. In the event of violations such as workers not wearing helmets, material violations, and unrelated personnel entering the site, the system will automatically respond in a timely manner to minimize manpower, improve work efficiency, shorten response time, and reduce the probability of accidents.

The use of drones for cruise monitoring in the metro track area allows remote operators to control and monitor from a firsthand perspective. The panoramic video captured by the drone is transmitted back through the 5G network in real time, so that as soon as something abnormal is found, the threat can be acted upon early to avoid any serious consequences.

Facial recognition for payment processing allows passengers to enter and exit smoothly and conveniently without needing to rely on physical tickets or mobile phone scan codes. “To use facial ticketing in the future, passengers will also need preregistration of their facial information and link their payment methods to their accounts, just like them making payments at the KFC restaurant,” said a staff member at the Futian station’s demonstration area in Shenzhen; according to the March 13th South China Morning Post article entitled “You will soon be able to pay your subway fare with your face in China.”

Reference: 深圳首个“5G+AI”科技体验区!快到福田交通枢纽体验极速快感啦!