Dr Andrew O’Brien, Biometrics Product Manager at Innovative Technology, looks at the benefits of implementing biometrics age checks into different sectors. 

Every sector faces access control challenges in a bid to ensure the security and safety of their employees and customers.

Businesses who supply age-restricted goods or services are confronted with more complex scenarios in order to protect minors gaining accesses to products, services or venues.

AI-powered biometric technology can play a key role in assisting this process to help ensure compliance and protection.   

Biometric age checks are a way to verify a person’s age using facial features or characteristics to control access.

They can be used to restrict access to secure areas or products and services that have age restrictions applied.   

Facial features can be used to estimate age by using artificial intelligence. 

Our hardware devices incorporate AI-powered age check technology that uses specially trained algorithms to analyse a person’s facial features and estimate an age based on what the algorithms have learnt.

We have built, trained and tuned our own age estimation algorithms using our own training datasets.   

Access to age-restricted products & venues  

From protecting minors entering an age restricted gaming area at a service station or amusement arcade, to helping retailers and hospitality venues to prevent age-restricted goods being sold to minors, organisations need the right tools and technology to maintain a secure venue management and age check strategy.   

Using biometric technology can help enforce the rules in place.

It can also give organisations the added bonus of improving customer experience and staff efficiency, while addressing difficult compliance requirements associated with age-restricted goods or services.   

MyCheckr age estimation device can be used straight out of the box and comes complete with a camera and screen or a Mini version without a screen.

ICU Lite is a USB-like device that can be easily integrated with exiting systems to fully automate age checks.

They offer organisations an added layer of security for age-restricted access control.  

Key considerations  for Innovative Technology

Our core objective at Innovative Technology is to provide affordable and easy to use age and identity verification solutions to various sectors.

Anyone who sells age restricted goods and wishes to prevent access to age restricted areas can benefit from our technology without a massive investment. 

Available at a one-time purchase cost with no subscriptions or fees per age check makes this solution affordable for all.   

Accuracy and efficacy is also fundamental.  Our age estimation range has obtained independent certification (ACCS 1:2020 Technical Requirements for Age Estimation Technologies).

The independent test results show that our products, on average overestimates 18-year-olds by 0.39 years and has an MAE (Mean Absolute Error) of 0.94 years.  

Suppliers of biometric age estimation technology also need to guarantee trust.

Privacy and data security is a legitimate concern for users adopting this technology.

Providers need to ensure transparency and accountability to alleviate these concerns.  

Our age estimation is completely anonymous.

The information we handle cannot be used to identify a unique individual.

We never store any personal data; the process is done locally, so data is never sent over a network where it could be vulnerable to hackers.

Additionally, any data processed is automatically deleted afterward.

As a result, we received independent GDPR Certification from the Age Check Certification Scheme – ACCS 2:2021 Technical Requirements for Data Protection and Privacy.   

Benefits and diverse applications   

Age checks powered by biometrics can create endless opportunities for many industries including retail, lottery, vaping, gaming, kiosk, vending and amusement to name a few.

For example, in a casino, or 18+ area in holiday park or motorway service station, using a MyCheckr at the entrance would clearly pick up anyone who is underage.

Then an ICU Lite integrated in a gaming machine would prevent minors from using the machine.

Alerts can be pushed out to staff via a mobile, connecting the two devices, enabling venue or security staff to respond immediately to any attempted unauthorised entry, purchase or play.    

Automated judgements that age must be checked as it reduces the likelihood that an interaction will become confrontational.

Staff are responding to a decision made by a device is less likely to cause any abuse and reduce any potential conflict.

What we also hear from our customers is that they are also finding a noticeable reduction in underage people even attempting to purchase or enter an age-restricted venue or zone, as they see our devices as a clear and obvious deterrent.     

Communication and alerts to staff that a potential under aged person is trying to access an area, venue or product is also key a feature of our technology, putting notifications, information and remote management capabilities in the hand’s of venue employees and creating staff efficiencies.   

The customer experience will undoubtedly improve with the use of technology, as automation often results in speeding up transactions and reducing customer waiting times. 

A low friction, seamless solution at the device level is needed to facilitate take up of biometric technology. Age check regulations will also be a key driver to adoption.

As regulations continue to be introduced to safeguard consumers, we can provide the tools and technology to perform this increasingly complex yet vital task. 

This article was originally published in the December Edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.