Japan tapping gait recognition tech in criminal probes

Gait recognition technology, a method to identify people by characteristics shown unconsciously in the ways they walk, is being utilized in criminal investigations in Japan. The technology enables the identification of individuals even from images taken from a distance and low-resolution footage. According to advocates, a video image of only two strides is sufficient to identify a person with a high rate of accuracy, based on arm swings, length of stride and other characteristics. Researchers are working to improve the accuracy of the technology with the use of artificial intelligence. In a brazen daytime attack in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district in April 2017, a man was robbed of some ¥40 million on a street after he had converted gold into cash.