Mumbai: Meet George Brostoff. He is the CEO of SensibleVision, which makes facial-recognition software.
Brostoff has seven US patents and has developed technology used by Dell and other major companies.
Recently, SensibleVision has unveiled plans to enter the Indian market to boost its business and presence in India.
In this interview, SensibleVision CEO George Brostoff talks to Pankaj Maru of TechHerald.in about the company’s GTM strategy for India, its products, solutions and the targeted verticals, and also discuss about the uniqueness of SensibleVision’s 3D facial recognition technology and his take on the Indian market.
Q1. SensibleVision has entered the Indian market, so what’s the GTM strategy to increase presence and market share here? Are you looking at local channel partners and distributors to tap the India markets?
George Brostoff: SensibleVision is in the process of establishing a network of channel partners as well as developing strategic partnerships with distributors in India, and we are also developing direct relationships with security executives in the financial services and transportation sectors. We believe that India is the leading adopter of face authentication technologies, and that it is an important market for SensibleVision.
Q2. Which are the key products and solutions that are being pushed into the Indian market and which are the verticals or market segments that are potential buyers of SensibleVision’s technology products?
George Brostoff: Our primary solution includes 2D and 3D face recognition software that is designed to deliver fast, transparent, accurate and continuous biometric-based authentication. The system works regardless of lighting conditions, physical location and is not deterred by artifacts such as those created by a person moving or not being exactly aligned with a camera or the color of their skin. Our solution works on devices as well as with cameras placed in public settings.
Our initial focus is providing secure face authentication to projects that have under performed in the past in both government and private implementations. We are also pursuing opportunities in the
financial services, transportation, healthcare, automotive and retail sectors, areas where secure, rapid authentication reduces risk, improves efficiency and enhances the customer experience.
Q3. Facial recognition technology has been around for some many years now. So, what can you say about SensibleVision’s facial recognition technology that makes it unique as compared to its competition?
George Brostoff: While facial recognition has been around for over two decades, it has not delivered on the promise of providing a robust and accurate solution for biometrics-based identification in many real-world situations.
For one thing, it has been mostly used 2D cameras which do not capture nearly enough information to be consistently accurate. They can easily be fooled by the pictures and masks, they do not handle diverse lighting environments well and have trouble resolving the details in people with very light or dark skin. Another factor has been the limited size of facial profile databases. Many companies went to market with very limited data sets – mostly middle-aged white males – which made the accuracy of their solutions very inconsistent to say the least.
SensibleVision has addressed all of these challenges. By creating a large database of facial profiles from all over the world, we can accurately recognize people of all ages, genders and races. We leverage today’s tiny and accurate 3D cameras to capture 10K-40K depth points for each facial scan – enough data to deliver very accurate and consistent results even when people don’t directly face the camera or are moving quickly. And we have developed true AI-based 3D face recognition capabilities that analyze the actual contours of the face in order to collect, manage and rationalize scans that deliver virtually spoof proof and consistently accurate authentication.
Q4. What’s your take on the Indian market when it comes to biometric security-based products and solutions, usage and demand along with cost?
George Brostoff: Awareness of the power of proper identification has already been established by the Aadhaar program. Because of this, biometric-based authentication solutions are poised to expand. Accurately identifying citizens enables improved delivery of services from both government and private sector organizations.
Leveraging facial authentication to reduce costs associated with social safety net programs is being demonstrated today. More efficient delivery of other government services leveraging biometric authentication has laid the groundwork for widespread adoption of these kinds of solutions. With today’s advanced technologies, cost effective, transparent and frictionless face authentication has the potential to dramatically improve identification processes in private sector settings including retail, transportation, healthcare and financial services.
Q5. SensibleVision is in the 3D facial recognition space, so what can you say about the benefits and advantages this technology can offer to businesses?
George Brostoff: In today’s digital economic climate, all businesses are focused on managing security risks. Whether it is a bank needing to provide customers with secure access to their accounts or a large retailer looking to prevent hackers from accessing their trove of names, addresses and credit card account numbers, every business is faced with protecting access to data and systems.
3D face authentication addresses this threat by providing a fast, easy way for customers to be accurately authenticated in whatever ways they are interacting with a business – quickly, securely and consistently.