FaceIT

Presently, timing in competitions such as running races (road races, marathons, etc.) and triathlons are timed using RFID technology in the form of RFID chips worn by participants. RFID chips have numerous problems (e.g., possibility of getting lost during a triathlon swim portion, or compromising race integrity through athlete switching chips and numbers to gain free entry into the race, or worse, cheat for a friend). There is also the manual labor (and these days, COVID risk) involved in giving out the chips, then collecting them at the finish. I invented a system that eliminates the need for RFID chips completely. Through the use of facial recognition timing, an athlete can now start and finish a race, and be timed just by using a picture of themselves crossing the finish line (in comparison with a profile picture). No more RFID chips. And the commercial beauty is that a timing company can sell the finish photo to the athlete, thus effectively turning their timing systems from money-sinks (equipment upkeep, etc.) into a revenue-producing platform. I started Finish Time Network (trading as FaceIT) to commercialise this technology. We have a solid team, and large-scale trials are slated for 2023. News We are happy to have been selected into the Gold Coast Innovation Hub’s sports tech PLAY accelerator. [See: https://playaccelerator.com/.)