Robots could replace immigration officers under new technology presented in Paris
A visitor tries French manufacturer Thales 'border control system with automated biometric at the International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Photo: AFP
7:19PM BST 19 Jun 2015
French electrical systems company Thales demonstrates tall robot that waves through passengers after machine scans everything from passports to irises
Robots will replace immigration officers if new airport technology unveiled at the Paris Air Show this week is adopted.
The futuristic designs of French electrical systems company Thales promises to go beyond enabling passengers to bypass check-in desks.
It has designed a machine that scans passports prints boarding passes, and – the real novelty - records an image of the passenger's face and iris, sharing all the information with computers around the airport.
The images are already in the system when the passenger arrives at the immigration desk, allowing a tall, white robot to automatically confirm the person's identity without the need for human border staff.
"You would only need one agent for every four or five machines," Pascal Zenoni, a Thales manager presenting the equipment at the air show, told AFP.
Robots will replace immigration officers if new airport technology unveiled at the Paris Air Show this week is adopted
"These systems can free up staff for the police and create more space in the airport," he added.
The passenger's face is also printed in encrypted form on the boarding pass so that it can be scanned by staff at the gate for a final identity check.
Thales hopes to build on its expertise as the maker of biometric passports and ID cards for 25 countries, including France.
