Self-driving trucks, paying with your face among breakthrough technologies of 2017

BOSTON — Would you feel comfortable riding in a self-driving truck? Would you find it easier to pay for goods and services with your face?

Will Knight, Senior Editor at MIT Technology Review, joins FOX25 Morning News Thursday morning to talk about both topics, which have been featured on the review's website as two of the top 10 breakthrough technologies of 2017.

Other acclaimed technologies on the list include practical quantum computers and a new solar powering device.

Self-driving trucks, according to David Freeman, are a completely different technology than self-driving cars, primarily due to the economic reasoning behind them but also due to the effect it may have on blue collar workers.

The technology may allow for increased safety, better fuel economy, shorter driving times and more time for drivers to figure out their route without having to constantly pull over. However, as it is still in in trial phase, there's no guarantee yet of what kind of pros and cons we'll be dealing with.

Automated trucks aside, you can now make payments and access facilities with your face in China. A start-up called Face++ (pronounced face plus plus) uses advanced facial recognition technology to add your face to their database and essentially track your every move from within their headquarters in Beijing.

Face++'s facial recognition technology has been used in several different apps and has allowed users to pay for goods and services, enter buildings and pick up rail tickets by simply scanning their faces.

Government officials have also taken a liking to the technology as it also allows them to better track down and identify suspected criminals in surveillance footage.

Cox Media Group