WATCH | Move over facial recognition, China ushers in gait tech

Chinese police have started using recognition software that identifies people based on their body shape and how they walk. This technology reportedly allows for recognition of people, even when their faces are not picked up on camera.

According to ABC News, Huang Yongzhen, CEO of Watrix, the company that developed the product, says the system identifies people as far as 50 meters away and is a step-up from facial recognition, which requires high resolution images to function. 

Other than surveillance and use by law enforcement, gait recognition will also be effective in spotting citizens in distress reported Daily Mail.

Gait recognition technology isn't entirely new and has been the subject of research in the United Kingdom, United States and Japan. 

For now, the system is unable make real-time identification. Once the footage is uploaded into the system, it takes about 10-minutes to search through an hour of content and make a positive identification.