Bulgarian project develops integrated biometric AI access control system for mass events

A Bulgarian research team is developing a high-end biometric access system powered by artificial intelligence for public events. The product, still under development, will soon replace the current access control systems for public buildings and mass events.

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Innovation and Growth told Euractiv Bulgaria that the new system will make traditional tickets or wristbands obsolete to access large-scale events.

Football fans or concert-goers can register their biometrics, such as fingerprints or facial recognition, before the event; at the location’s entrance, AI-powered biometric scanners will grant access to those whose data matches stored records, ensuring that only recognised individuals can enter.

Likewise, unauthorised persons can be prevented from entering restricted areas to ensure the safety of the people inside them.

“The investment is for the development of a next-generation ‘Rock 2’ access control system, as well as additional software functionalities – increased security, network functions and additional analyses and reports,” the Bulgarian Fund of Funds explains. The Fund of Funds is a state-owned company managing funding from three European programs with a total resource of around € 1 billion.

The name of the company developing the product is kept secret for now.

‘Rock’ is the biometric access control platform that uses facial recognition through artificial intelligence to enable secure access to offices and buildings. The total value of the project is €7.38 million, which is the largest project of all 14 Bulgarian projects related to artificial intelligence under the Operational Programme ‘Innovations and Competitiveness’. The EU funding of this project is €4.46 million, and the rest of the money is private investment.

Identifying masked people

The new access control platform develops masked face recognition capabilities, as well as improving integration with current access control systems.

The project aims to implement behavioural analytics capabilities that can provide, along with facial recognition, additional insight into people’s actions and intentions.

“The goal is for the system to analyse facial expressions, body language and movement patterns to detect suspicious behaviour or identify people in distress. This proactive approach increases security by warning of potential threats or emergencies,” according to project documentation seen by Euractiv.

IT experts told Euractiv that the project will ensure compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, by implementing features such as data anonymisation and encryption.

Other major AI projects

Among other major EU-funded projects based on AI is a system for image recognition of human models and body language.

“Image recognition technology finds a variety of industrial applications, from sports and medical diagnostics to autonomous robotics and recognition of the psychological state,” the Fund of Funds explains.

Other interesting Bulgarian technologies based on artificial intelligence are related to the processing of acoustic signals, as well as to an AI algorithm for automating the interpretation of nuclear magnetic resonance of the spine.

Developing the BgGPT chat

The IT industry is one of the most developed sectors in the Bulgarian economy and produces about 4% of the country’s GDP. In April 2022 the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) was established in Sofia, which is presented as the first of its kind in Eastern Europe to offer world-class research facilities.

In 2024, on the Bulgarian National Day 3 March, INSAIT announced the launch of the so-called Bulgarian artificial intelligence chat BgGPT. The chat, created to work mostly with the Bulgarian language, is released for free use.

“The technology allows it to be implemented and adjusted by the companies, according to their specific needs in just a few hours, and the advantage is that it uses minimal computing and financial resources,” said the Ministry of Education, praising the INSAIT Institute.

“To compete on the global stage with AI powerhouses such as the US and China, the EU needs a significant increase in its public investment in AI to pave the way for sustainable AI technologies,” the Fund of Funds insisted.

[By Emiliya Milcheva, Krassen Nikolov I Edited by Brian Maguire | Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab ]

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