Leveraging the Mad Systems’ advanced new technology creates AV++® by Michael Oliver
The personalized guest experience
“F
acial Recognition can be used to personalize and improve the guest experience by a considerable factor, with a wide range of possible applications in the world of theme parks and attractions,” says Maris Ensing, Founder and Creative Technology Consultant of the AV company Mad Systems Inc., based in Orange, California. “You can make sure that people can’t lose their kids; you can make sure that they can find their friends; you can make sure that even if the kids do wander away they can’t leave the park. The benefits extend from security to point-of-sale, to retail, to food and beverage - to everything else that you might want to involve, including the exciting creative potential to produce personalized, immersive experiences on the cutting edge of enhanced reality, while at the same time not affecting visitor’s privacy.”
We spoke with Ensing not long after Mad Systems had garnered its second United States patent in less than a year, with a third patent that was granted and published on October 26th. In its official language, the first patent (#10,484,818) “covered systems and methods for providing location information about registered users based on facial recognition.” One of the possible things that can be done based on this technology is called LookingGlass Concierge, which “uses a secure (and private) form of facial recognition to help provide better customer service, and to make the stay of visitors to theme parks, museums and visitor centers even better.” The second patent (#10,831,817) is titled ‘Systems and Methods for Generating Targeted Media Content’ and covers “the development of personalized media delivery and personalized interactive exhibits based on recognition technologies, including facial recognition, color recognition and license plate recognition with an option for correlation of cars, their drivers and their passengers, as well as transactions relating to the use of recognition systems.” This technology will enable public spaces to deliver media and implement exhibits, advertising and interactive solutions that match the interests, language preference, ADA needs or even purchasing habits of patrons in order to tailor people’s experiences. Ensing also indicated that exploring this technology further has led to several more patents in the works, in the US, Europe, China, Australia and the Middle East.
Your face is your calling card To understand how facial recognition technology can provide benefits to theme parks and their guests, it’s worth a moment to consider how this technology works in other settings - for example, walkthrough venues like museums. When a guest enters such a venue, he or she may want to register at a ticket window or perhaps self-register at a conveniently placed kiosk; in fact, the guest may have already registered online in advance from home. As part of this process, the guest provides a portrait or allows the system to capture an image, which will be translated into a series of encrypted vectors (no actual picture needs to be kept) and used for guest recognition as the guest moves through the venue. Other data elements can be included by the guest at this time: language preferences, specialized requirements due to hearing or vision issues, mobility issues (wheelchair bound, for example). All of these data points are stored and associated with the visitors’ encrypted equivalent of their pictures, enabling them to be recognized by the system as they proceed through the exhibits, addressed by name and have media and content delivered that are specifically tailored to the information, preferences and needs inputted in the registration process. Included Maris Ensing
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Right: Mad Systems facial recognition technologies can dramatically impact the guest theme park experience. Photos courtesy of Mad Systems
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