此前曾在课堂上徒手劈砖的四川大学网红教授魏骁勇又火了。近日，他推出了课堂点名“神器”：小型无人机+巡堂，不但能发现谁逃课了，还能近距离无死角抓取学生面部表情...就问你怕不怕！
然而，其实魏老师上课根本不点名！并且从！来！没！点！过！这次的“无人机点名”只是上课内容的一部分。改装无人机用来识别人脸和捕捉学生表情，是魏老师结合课程内容，和全班同学一起讨论一起完成的。“是一个案例讲解，花了快两个月的时间，但是视频拍摄时是第一次使用”，魏老师说。
Facial Recognition Drone Monitors Chinese College Class
Sichuan University professor says the flying face-readers will help his computer science students understand what they're learning.
It was a match made in android heaven: drones and facial recognition.
Wei Xiaoyong, a computer science professor at Sichuan University, has combined two of China's trendiest technologies into a palm-sized[1] flying face-reader that can monitor students' attendance — or even analyze whether they are paying attention.
[1]palm-sized：used to describe an electronic product that fits into your hand 手掌大小的；掌上型
The professor told Sixth Tone that he had developed the product for his web data-mining class. “The technology itself isn't new — we've just combined the facial recognition element [with] the drone for my class to help students understand what they've learned,” Wei said. “It shows students the possibilities of the project and helps them better understand how they can apply the things they've learned.”
Facial recognition is a growing part of daily life in China, as companies and local authorities rush to adopt the technology. Law enforcement personnel in particular have embraced facial recognition, using it to shame jaywalkers[2], catch criminal suspects at concerts, and screen passengers at railway stations.
[2]jaywalker：people who walks across a street at a place where it is not allowed or without taking care to avoid the traffic 乱穿马路的人
Earlier this week, a school in the eastern city of Hangzhou landed in the media spotlight for installing cameras that analyze students' facial expressions and attentiveness in class. Wei, too, has been experimenting with face-readers that examine students' emotions and moods since 2016 — though he says the technology still has its limitations.
“If you are trying to track a single student … the tech will not be that accurate,” Wei explained. “But it does help to analyze the collective behavior in the classroom, and gauge[3] their satisfaction and attention level.”
[3]gauge：to make a judgment about something, usually people's feelings 判定，判断（通常指人的感受）
A poll was conducted to gauge consumers' attitudes.
为了摸清消费者的看法，进行了一次民意调查。
China is at the forefront of developing and commercializing facial recognition technology, as businesses and governments partner to push the country's artificial intelligence ambitions — and fewer privacy protections and access to an enormous population have been boons to[4] the sector's growth.
[4]boon：something that is very helpful and improves the quality of life 提高生活质量的东西；有用之物
Guide dogs are a great boon to the partially sighted.
导盲犬对视力有障碍的人来说是非常有用的。
In April, one of the country's biggest e-commerce companies, Alibaba, funneled $600 million into SenseTime, a Hong Kong-based company specializing in facial recognition tech. The Chinese government is also investing in a nationwide face database that will store information about its 1.3 billion citizens — enabling them to identify individuals in as little as three seconds.
But while technological innovation can bring convenience, experts — and increasingly, ordinary Chinese citizens — are concerned that it is becoming too invasive. They say the mass banking of personal information could come with privacy violations and security risks.
“We have made progress on the technological front of facial recognition,” said Wei, who has been researching the subject for over a decade. “But the biggest challenge is to now see how the public will accept the fact that they might have to trade their privacy.”
来源：SIXTH TONE
LearnAndRecord
2015年2月8日
2018年5月27日
第1205天
每天持续行动学外语
