Chinese Schools Reportedly Implimenting ‘Smart Uniforms’

Smart Uniforms

With many of us returning to work following the rather pleasant Christmas/New Year break, many of us are perhaps already counting down the days until the kids are back as well. I know, for example, that not having Peppa Pig on the television all day certainly makes me a more productive. Well, that and slightly saner.

With us getting schools uniforms ready though, a report via The Verge has revealed a rather unusual concept is currently underway in China. Specifically, that ‘smart uniforms’ are being rolled out in schools.

That Will Make For An Interesting Register

The uniforms feature two tracking chips in the shoulders which are designed to monitor when a child enters and leaves a school. It does, of course, highlight a rather disturbing aspect of the monitoring that China conducts of its citizens. I do, however, find myself somewhat approving of this technology. Well, some aspects of it at least.

Features

The uniform apparently comes with a number of features that schools can choose to implement. These include;

• Payment feature via an optional fingerprint reader.
• Sensor to detect if a child is asleep.
• Integration with facial recognition software.

Overlooking some of the more sinister aspects, it would be a good security feature. Specifically to know which children are in attendance and if/when they leave the building. It does, of course, open the doors to the prospect of the school (or government) tracking them outside of it. So, I guess I have rather mixed feeling about this. It could be a good idea. One I suspect many parents would like if they were able to access it as well. It could also, of course, also fall into the common trap of being misused.

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!