Image Recognition and Facial Authentication Solutions
as Measures for COVID-19

Koh Sungmyeong

Assistant Manager
5G & IoT Business Department, NTT DOCOMO, Inc.

1. Introduction

Since the expansion of the COVID-19 pandemic, there arefewer opportunities for human contact, and we have needed toadapt to new types of lifestyle. In many fields, this is resulting inaccelerating use of machines to automate work that was formerly
done by people.
The camera modules found in smartphones and other devices
have become both generic and inexpensive, and performance
has leapt forward in recent years. With a single smartphone, thecamera and communication modules can be used easily, together
with image recognition technologies on the cloud. As such, imagerecognition technology has reached a stage where it can be usedpractically as a technical element in replacing human work withmachinery.
In March, 2020, NTT DOCOMO also began provisionof our 5 th generation mobile communications system(5G), which features high speed and capacity, low delay, andmassive connectivity. 5G will enable video transmission withhigher capacity than ever before, so solutions combining 5G
communication and image recognition technology are expected toappear.
This article introduces NTT DOCOMO’s image recognition
platform, the “EasyPass powered by SAFR” face-recognition
solution and the “AI Temperature Measurement Solution,” as apotentially effective measures against infectious disease.

2. NTT DOCOMO Image Recognition Platform

In May, 2020, NTT DOCOMO began providing our “NTTDOCOMO Image Recognition Platform”[1]. This platform is a
cloud service that makes it easy to use our image recognition AI.
Previously, application of image recognition AI solutions
required much work and specialized technology, including
annotation work creating the data used to train the image
recognition AI, generating the trained model, and building
the image recognition engine. The NTT DOCOMO Image
Recognition Platform automates these processes, from creating
the training model to building the image recognition engine, solead time for introducing solutions can be reduced significantly.
Developers can focus their efforts on developing the application orsystem that will use the image recognition AI, rather than on theimage recognition AI component (Figure 1).
One example using the NTT DOCOMO image recognition
technology was to automate inspection of mobile phone basestations for rust using aerial images taken by drones. NTTDOCOMO has mobile base stations in approximately 50,000
locations and the work of inspecting them is time consuming
and dangerous. Automation of inspection work contributes toimproved work environments and reduced costs. An example ofusing the image recognition engine to detect rust areas is shownin Figure 2. The state of rusted areas can be checked from basestation images taken by the drones. As a result of this automation,■ Figure 1: NTT DOCOMO image recognition platform overview

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■ Figure 2: Detection of rust■ Figure 3: Comparison of recognition speed and algorithm
size

the time required to inspect each base station can be reduced
by approximately 100 minutes. The technology is to be used forinspecting base stations at approximately 1,500 locations, whichshould eliminate more than 2,000 hours of work[2].

3. COVID-19 Solution using Face
Authentication

3.1 The SAFR® Face Authentication EngineThe SAFR face authentication engine provided by RealNetworks Inc. is image recognition software that authenticatesusers quickly and accurately using a face image. NTT DOCOMO
has recognized the technical superiority of SAFR and its
applicability in mobile solutions, and has used it as the facialrecognition engine in various face authentication solutions. It has
also obtained good results for recognition accuracy and speed in
the Face Recognition Vendor Tests (FRVT) organized by theUSA National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)[3]. According to SAFR developer, Real Networks Inc., it was
the fastest and most light-weight among algorithms achieving
recognition accuracy of 96% or greater in FRVT 1:1 recognitiontests conducted in FY2019 [4]. Compared with other highly
accurate algorithms, SAFR was twice as fast as the averageand 35% smaller than the next-smallest algorithm (Figure 3).
Thus, SAFR achieves a good balance in the tradeoff between
recognition accuracy and computational cost, and does not require
expensive computation devices, so it is very practical. In theFRVT Wild category, which focuses on recognition of subjects
that are unaware of the camera including profile images, SAFR
was shown to be extremely fast and accurate as an algorithm
for recognizing images in live video. In addition to being
highly evaluated in the FRVT Wild category, SAFR also has
development environments for smartphones, including iOS andAndroid SDKs, so it is very attractive for NTT DOCOMO’ssolutions business and we are introducing it into various solutions.
With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, SAFR also

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added support for recognition of users while wearing masks inApril 2020[5]. To recognize faces obscured by masks or otherobjects, the AI recognizes the parts of the face that are notobscured. The ability to perform authentication without requiring
masks to be removed is extremely useful under conditions of theCOVID-19 pandemic. According to Real Networks internal
testing, SAFR achieved 98.85% accuracy recognizing subjects
wearing masks in the Wild category.
Figure 4 shows a case of face authentication while wearing amask.
■ Figure 4: Facial authentication while wearing a mask

■ Figure 5: EasyPass overview

3.2 EasyPass powered by SAFRIn May, 2020, NTT DOCOMO began providing the“EasyPass powered by SAFR” service (“EasyPass”)[6]. An overview
of EasyPass is shown in Figure 5.
The EasyPass solution achieves access control with simple,
fast and highly accurate face recognition by simply installing theEasyPass application on a smartphone. It is expected to be usedby providing security personnel with a smartphone, which will
be used to check those entering and leaving a facility by simply
having them face the smartphone camera.
EasyPass is both convenient and extensible throughintegration of SAFR face authentication with Genetec ®
Security Center SynergisTM , which is a Video Management
System (VMS). It can be implemented with smartphones andmobile networks, so it requires no installation of cameras orcommunication lines or other construction, minimizing
preparation time required to introduce the system. It also hasvarious operational benefits from using smartphone devices, suchas the ease of replacing any faulty devices.
In one company that has introduced EasyPass, security staff
at entrances previously checked photo IDs of those enteringand leaving, which resulted in line-ups and congestion at thebeginning and end of the workday. These conditions also createdsecurity risks such as potential for impersonation or error by
security staff. After EasyPass was introduced, security personnel
only had to visually check the authentication result on theapplication, reducing the time required to less than one second(Figure 6).
EasyPass is extremely useful as a way to deal with COVID-19,
for enterprises enforcing this sort of access control. Since EasyPassdoes not require removal of masks for authentication, it can reduce
the risk for security personnel, of infection from those enteringand leaving. According to analysis of COVID-19[7], doubling■ Figure 6: A uthenticating a driver using EasyPass

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■ Figure 7: T emperature measurement using Seek Thermal

the distance between people halves the risk of infection. With
the earlier operating model, visual checks required distances ofapproximately 1 m, while this solution allows distances of 2 m, so
we can say the solution reduces risk by half.
3.3 AI Temperature Measurement Solution
In November, 2020, NTT DOCOMO began providing ourAI Temperature Measurement Solution[8]. By integrating theSAFR face authentication engine, a temperature measurement
device from SeekThermal Inc., and communication tools such as
Microsoft Teams, it provides a solution that includes non-contact
staff authentication and temperature measurements together with
reporting and management. Although remote work is becoming
widely established, it is still difficult to completely eliminate theneed to visit company offices. Many companies are requiring
temperature measurements of those visiting their offices, which isburdensome for both those coming to work and for administration.
For commercial facilities with many visitors, one COVID-19
counter measure is to screen visitors by taking their temperaturewhen they enter. According to a September 2020 report fromthe USA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, trial
calculations indicate that approximately 40% of patients are
asymptomatic, so taking temperatures when people arrive is
not a perfect measure, but from a psychological perspective forthose visiting a commercial facility, it does raise awareness thatthe facility is screening for people with a fever. This type ofsolution that takes consumer psychology into consideration is also
necessary for enterprises as they continue economic activity in our
new way of life.
Note that the temperature measuring device used for thissolution is the Seek Scan from Seek Thermal Inc. It is used
together with a black-body standard to calibrate the thermosensor, giving it excellent characteristics able to take temperatureswith only 0.3 degrees of measurement error. A SeekScan screen isshown in Figure 7. The red square appearing in the thermal image
on the right is the black-body standard, showing how the standard
temperature is constantly being measured.

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4. Conclusion

Technology has a large role in dealing with changes in ourlifestyles due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Solutions
using image recognition to check for the three C’s (Closed spaces,Crowded places, and Close contact) or for masks can be expectedto spread in the future. With demand to replace human workwith machinery, image recognition AI is a technology elementthat is developing remarkably, replacing human eyes and brains,
but a simple and user friendly framework is needed to apply
these latest technology elements in solutions. NTT DOCOMO
is providing frameworks on the cloud, such as the DOCOMO
Image Recognition Platform and the SAFR face authenticationengine, that enable these advanced processing technologies tobe used easily from a smartphone or Web browser. We also
have our 5G Open Partnership Program, which is a base forpartner enterprises to collaborate with NTT DOCOMO, orwith each other, to create valuable solutions. Combining these
initiatives, NTT DOCOMO and these partner enterprises will
create solutions for societal issues in the future.
References[1] NTT DOCOMO, “NTT DOCOMO begins offering its DOCOMO Image Recognition
Platform,” 2020/5/29
https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/info/news_release/2020/05/29_02.html[2] N TT DOCOMO Uses AWS to Build Cell Tower Inspection Tool That Cuts Costs, Improves
Safety, Amazon Webservice, 2020
https://aws.amazon.com/jp/solutions/case-studies/NTT-DOCOMO/[3] O ngoing Face Recognition Vendor Test, NIST 2019/10/16,
https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2019/10/16/frvt_report_2019_10_16.pdf[4] The Fastest Facial Algorithm Just Got Faster, Realnetworks 2019/7/19,
https://safr.com/general/the-fastest-facial-algorithmjust-got-faster/[5] R eal Networks, “SAFR® AI Face Authentication adds new Functionality― Authentication while wearing a mask,” PR Times, 2020/4/2
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000018.000046740.html[6] N TT DOCOMO, “Face authentication solution ‘Easy Pass powered by SAFR’ Launched,”
2020/5/29
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LANCET 2020/6/27
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736（20）31142-9/fulltext[8] NTT DOCOMO, “AI Temperature Detection Solution Launched,”
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https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html