Beyond wireless mobile devices, the technology has interesting possibilities in other systems designed for entertainment, safety or security. For example, Zarakov states the technology could also be used in gaming consoles, capturing a person’s face and expressions, and then using that data as inputs for rendering an animated character or avatar in real time.

Zarakov also suggests a safety application for the technology in which it could be used to monitor whether or not a driver is becoming sleepy through blink detection. It might even be used as a basis for face detection by the vehicle’s security system, preventing operation from a thief or a toddler.

Within the realm of security, there are many other possibilities. Among them is the compatibility of the technology with infrared (IR) video systems. This includes commonly used systems based on IR LED spotlights and IR-sensitive CMOS image sensors. According to Zarakov, this function is possible because certain wavelengths of light, while not visible to the human eye, can reflect facial data that can be useful for face recognition.

While not pursued directly by FotoNation, the ability to track faces can even be used to enhance the capability of visual speech reading, or “lip reading”, by an electronic imaging system. Perhaps through the use of this technology, design engineers can then incorporate speech reading into future generations of wireless handsets, restoring what seems to have been lost with the advent of mobile communications: the private conversation.

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