Page 7 - Short Cases 1 Faecal Recognition

Lei Zhenshan of the Shoulian Zhineng hygiene company in

Tianjin explained that “we brainstormed many options, such

as fingerprints, infra-red, and facial recognition. Eventually,

we went with facial recognition, because it’s the most

hygienic way. Before entering a restroom in the park,

visitors must now stare into a computer mounted on the

wall for three seconds, before a machine dispenses a sheet

of toilet paper, precisely two feet in length. If they require
more, they have to wait, because the machine will not

dispense a second length of paper to the same person for
nine minutes.”

Some visitors have complained that a hi-

tech toilet paper dispenser does not befit

the majesty of the Temple of Heaven,

which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. But
sixty-three-year-old visitor Qin Gang agreed that “stealing

toilet paper is a very bad habit. Some people are eager to

exploit public services, and maybe we can use technology to

change how they think. But the sheets of paper are much

too short.” (2)

At one stroke, management of the Temple of Heaven

religious park, got to the bottom of their pilferage dilemma

by employing new technology to control access to perceived

scarce resources. But, in doing so, management, flush with

their success, may have created a future, unplanned,
explosive event over which they have little or no control.

Unfortunately, actions have costs and often they result in

unfortunate consequences.