author: FutureCar Staff
Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis is all about advanced technology and its new facial recognition technology is fitting for the brand. Genesis announced that it will begin rolling its “Face Connect” technology, allowing its vehicles to recognize human faces. Once a driver approaches, the Genesis vehicle will either open or close doors without requiring a smart key.
The feature will debut in the new fully-electric Genesis GV60 SUV, then roll out to other Hyundai models, the company announced.
Face Connect is expected to maximize customer convenience for Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis. The technology helps the car communicate with drivers, along with the company’s new Fingerprint Authentication System that requires fingerprint scan to unlock and start the vehicle. Hyundai’s fingerprint scanner first appeared on the 2019 Santa Fe SUV.
Genesis’ new Face Connect technology can be used to personalize the driving experience. After identifying the driver through face recognition and syncing with their saved profile, the vehicle can automatically adjust the driver’s seat and steering wheel based on their stored personal preferences. In addition, the Head-Up-Display (HUD), side mirrors and infotainment settings of the vehicle will also be adjusted.
Genesis’ Face Connect system uses a Near Infra-Red (NIR) camera near the driver door that’s combined with deep learning, to ensure accurate face recognition performance in any condition, according to Genesis. The system can even detect if a person’s face is pre-registered with the vehicle system at night or inclimate weather.
Face Connect will debut in the Genesis GV60 electric SUV.
Face Connect adds a new level of convenience for drivers and eliminates the need to carry around a vehicle keyfob. Even if a driver accidentally locks their smart key in the car and cannot access their vehicle’s app, it can still be unlocked using the face recognition system.
By connecting with Hyundai’s “Fingerprint Authentication System,” drivers have full access to the vehicle with their unique and secure biometric information, so they won’t have to worry about carrying a smart key or smartphone. The drivers can simply unlock and enter the vehicle using face recognition, then start and drive the vehicle using fingerprint recognition.
As more automakers offer connected services like paying for gas via the vehicle’s infotainment screen, Hyundai’s fingerprint scanner offers a higher level of security. It replaces the 4-digit PIN code access with the more secure fingerprint authentication for in-vehicle payments, as well as the release of Valet Mode.
Face Connect can register up to two faces for each vehicle, and new profiles can be registered using voice assistant. For those drivers concerned about security, the data for each face is encrypted and safely stored in the vehicle without any security risk, according to Hyundai. A face profile can also be deleted any time at the driver’s convenience.
In addition to Face Connect, Genesis announced that its future vehicles will soon come with a higher degree of OTA software update capabilities.
The previous OTA software updates in Genesis models were limited to the vehicle’s infotainment system such as updating the navigation and Head-Up-Display (HUD). Now the OTA software updates will be expanded to other key areas of the vehicle, including major electronic devices that support the suspension, brakes, steering wheel, and airbags.
Vehicles that support OTA software updates represent the future of the auto industry. It allows drivers to keep their vehicle always up to date with the latest features, without having to visit a dealer.