15 seconds, that's how long it'll take to get through immigration in Dubai soon.
New technology has been unveiled at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) Dubai pavilion at GITEX Technology Week.
A smart tunnel has been designed that uses iris recognition technology for facial recognition. I will eliminate the need for passport stamping and any other human interaction associated with immigration, cutting down time to 15 seconds per passenger.
Passengers will have to first stand in front of the tunnel before walking through for facial recognition. The white tunnel includes a green-tinged digital floorboard that changes colour to red as a passenger walks through to finish the procedure.
Major Khalid Al Felasi, Assistant General Director of Smart Services, GDRFA Dubai said that Smart Tunnels are the new future of passport control reports Gulf News.
“We have one tunnel presented in Gitex and later we will go to the airport to check the tunnel’s features and see what we can add to it before implementing the project,” Major Al Felasi said.
While no start date for the tunnel's implementation at Dubai International Airport has been announced, Major Al Felasi said that the procedure will begin from home.
How? Tesla electric cars will be used to transport passengers to the airport, and passengers will be able to register their details during their ride.
“The car will collect passengers’ information, including the weight of the luggage, on the way to the airport and will deliver boarding pass in the car itself. It is all done by smartphone,” he added.
Luggage will automatically go through a smart system upon arrival to the airport and the passenger can then proceed through the smart tunnel to finish passport control procedures.
This will definitely make Dubai International Airport the smartest and most efficient worldwide, we can't wait to try it!