Facial recognition has been used for a wide range of hi-tech applications in China – from airport security clearance to crime prevention. Now it is being used to solve a more down-to-earth problem. On Shamian island, a popular historical tourist attraction in Guangzhou, facial recognition for toilet paper dispensing has been introduced in some cubicles, according to a report in the Guangzhou-based Information Times. Users can remove 90cm of toilet paper after their face is recognized. If the system detects the same face twice within 10 minutes, no further paper will be dispensed.

BEIJING – A years-long crime spree by Chinese toilet paper thieves may have reached the end of its roll after park officials in southern Beijing installed facial recognition technology to flush out bathroom bandits. Park managers at the Temple of Heaven, an expanse of imperial landmarks in the capital, spent three years testing ways to foil the toilet looters, including fingerprinting and laser sensors, before they settled on the new technology, which was introduced over the weekend. Elderly square dancers taking their bathroom breaks on Tuesday were greeted by a robotic voice: "Welcome! Please stand in the recognition zone." One by one, they obediently positioned themselves on a yellow square marking and watched their faces pop up on a blinking blue screen mounted to the wall.