In The Future You'll Use Your Face To Unlock Your Car

Jaguar Land Rovers of the future could unlock their doors via facial recognition, if a patent the company has filed is anything to go by.

According to the technical details of the patent, two cameras would be placed on each side of the car and would ‘see’ faces approaching. Once it recognises one that’s stored in its memory, the doors would unlock hands-free.

The process would need to involve taking head-shots specifically to be stored in the car’s memory, which you can imagine might raise privacy questions (as always). If hackers could extract the photos they would potentially have an avenue to finding out the owners’ identities.

The idea is presumably to make it easier to unlock the car when returning with arms full of shopping or carrying kids, plus saving owners the need to rummage around in pockets or bags.

But it does mean that if you get punched in the face, start wearing glasses or something else happens to change your look above the neck, you might find it tricky to get in. We can’t help but think how much cost a system like this would add to a car, either.

Elsewhere in the patent is a hint that door handles may be done away with altogether, with the doors opened by gesture control. Given Jaguar Land Rover’s chequered history with reliable electronics, we’re reserving judgement…