Privacy Visor glasses dodge facial recognition ninjas

There’s too much demand for privacy in this increasingly transparent world. Among the things that manage to be amassed and put into perspective on social networks, honoring privacy in the real world is also everyone’s top priority. That’s why the Privacy Visor glasses get us thinking and talking. Developed by National Institute of Informatics professor, Isao Echizen, this pair of glasses manage to fool most facial recognition scanners. They emit a near-infrared set of LEDs that block facial recognition cameras from identifying wearers. According to Echizen, the glasses are the answer to what he refers to as the “invasion of privacy caused by photographs taken in secret.” Facial recognition software collects a lot of data about patrons. Not only can it identify you, but it can also figure out your body type and age.

The pain point is that you need to carry a little power supply accessory to power-up the LEDs in your glasses. The developer has already been contacted by companies, eager to take the idea to the mass market. His team is now working on “an improved version of the privacy visor without power supply consisting of transparent materials that reflect or absorb specific wavelength.”