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HappyOrNot Launches Next Gen Smiley Feedback Terminal with AI-powered Facial Analysis Software

Instant customer feedback insights company, HappyOrNot, has launched what it is calling its most advanced feedback product: an updated version of its Smiley Touch terminal, already present in airports and retail spaces around the world, now enhanced by artificial intelligence.

Accumulating over a billion feedback responses since its launch, HappyOrNot’s range of smiley-faced terminals serve over 4,000 brands in 135 countries including Amazon, Google, Aramark, and Miami Airport.

Upgrading its popular Smiley Touch product, the new terminal uses a built-in camera system and AI software to unlock and connect in-moment anonymous feedback data with respondent(s) demographic information. The demographic analysis works by converting and mapping facial features into numerous data points to form a vector. The anonymized vector is then analyzed by the AI to estimate the feedback provider’s age and gender — with up to a 95% accuracy rate.

Unlike facial recognition tools, HappyOrNot’s updated Smiley Touch terminal does not identify the individual, instead its only purpose is to analyze a silhouetted vector, which is specifically designed to hide the respondent’s identity.

The company calls this an “unprecedented innovation” in the market, that can help create value and new insights, especially in retail. At a time of economic uncertainty, the new product aims to help businesses make better informed decisions that result in positive operational impact. Already adopted by leading European retail chain XXL Sport & Villmark and Canadian pharmacy chain MacQuarries, the upgraded terminals provide a faster way for businesses to gather detailed information, and crucially, better understand how to meet the unique needs of their target audiences.

Gathering encrypted and anonymous data from the terminals, businesses can also gain a better understanding of the satisfaction levels for specific user groups. The layering of demographics analytics on top of real-time feedback data, supports them to make and measure operational changes that target and add value to specific groups of customers.

“We know that when it comes to customer loyalty, all it takes is one good or bad experience. Yet, providing a personalized service can be challenging when you have customers ranging from 16 to 80. Adding demographics data will allow businesses to better understand their target markets through the feedback provided by their customers.” said Miika Mäkitalo, CEO of HappyOrNot, “Our priority has always been to make customer feedback more digestible, and this latest version will go a long way in providing another layer of context for businesses. This new capability is brilliant for our customers, and I’m very pleased that we are the first in the market to deliver this innovation.”

Using the most advanced technology, HappyOrNot’s new terminal complements its range of innovative feedback solutions aimed at boosting omnichannel customer engagement. To improve accuracy, businesses can also turn on the camera operated feedback guard that recognizes and filters out multiple feedback responses from the same individual in a short period of time. On track to reach 2bn feedback responses by 2024, the upgraded terminals will join other marquee products such as web-based integration Smiley Digital and touchless URL and QR-code solution Smiley Link.

“By combining demographic data with customer satisfaction data, retailers can create a more detailed and nuanced picture of their customers and use this information to make informed business decisions.” explains Kenneth Røsseth-Sørensen, Strategy & Business Development at XXL Group.“For example, a retailer might use this data to identify specific customer segments that are particularly satisfied or dissatisfied with their products or services, and tailor their marketing and customer service strategies accordingly. This can help retailers improve customer loyalty and retention, and ultimately drive sales and revenue.”

MARITIME

4 November 2022: France, Algeria, Guinea

In a case that demonstrates the great risks faced by migrants that resort to smugglers, an eight-year-old boy has been rescued by law enforcement after being kidnapped by fellow migrants and held for ransom. The boy and his mother had left Côte d’Ivoire in early 2021, hoping to make the journey to Europe. They travelled to Tunisia, where a smuggler promised to help them and a group of Guinean migrants cross the Mediterranean Sea. Instead, the smuggler took their money and disappeared. In October 2021, convinced that the mother and smuggler had been accomplices since they shared the same nationality, the other migrants kidnapped the then seven-year-old boy and demanded $3,000 for his safe return. After the boy’s mother reported the kidnapping to authorities in Côte d’Ivoire, the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abidjan turned to INTERPOL’s Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants (HTSM) unit for assistance. Authorities in Algeria located the boy and arrested one suspect in the outskirts of Algiers. A medical screening confirmed that the child had not suffered any direct physical violence or sexual abuse during the ordeal. In parallel, Guinean police located and arrested the suspect who had sent the ransom demand to the boy’s mother.

MARITIME

11 November 2022: Toulon, France

France allowed the Ocean Viking rescue ship that was carrying more than 200 migrants and refugees rescued in the Mediterranean to dock at their port of Toulon. This followed terse communications with Italy over the fate of the vessel. Gerald Darmanin, France’s interior minister, said that the Italian government’s ban on the boat was “incomprehensible” and “selfish.” “In this context, France decided on an exceptional basis to make up for the Italian government’s unacceptable behavior and to invite the ship to come to the military port of Toulon,” Darmanin said at a news conference. Of the 234 people on board, including 57 children, France agreed to accept a third, Germany another third and the rest are to be taken in by other European Union countries. The situation caused France to say they will discard an agreement with Rome to take in more than 3,000 migrants and refugees who had come to Italy previously. France also says it will reinforce controls at its borders with its southeastern neighbor. “France very deeply regrets that Italy has decided not to behave like a responsible European state,” Darmanin said and added, “there will be extremely strong consequences” for France’s bilateral relationship with Italy over the issue.

MARITIME

17 November 2022: Lower Mississippi River

An electrical generator set (genset) failure and subsequent loss of steering led to the grounding of a towing vessel near Greenville, Mississippi, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday. The towing vessel Marquette Warrior was pushing 35 loaded dry cargo barges down the Lower Mississippi River on Nov. 21, 2021, when several barges grounded on the riverbank. Four barges were damaged, including a hopper barge with bean cargo that partially sank. None of the nine people on board the Marquette Warrior were injured. The grounding resulted in $1.24 million in damages to the vessel, barges and cargo. As the vessel was transiting, the engineer saw flickering lights and a ground fault indication on the main switchboard. The engineer contacted the pilot in the wheelhouse to request the pilot stop the vessel so he could troubleshoot what he suspected was a problem with the electrical system. The pilot was not able to stop the vessel due to the size of the tow and its location. The engineer identified an issue with the online port electrical genset. At the same time, the pilot noticed that he had lost steering control. Hearing that the vessel had lost steering, the engineer decided to switch online gensets, which necessitated a temporary loss of the towboat’s electrical power. Although the engineer resolved the electrical issue by switching gensets and restored steering relatively quickly, the loss of steering in the swift current and limited maneuverability of the large tow prevented the pilot from avoiding grounding. Electricians’ analysis of the genset’s alternator following the grounding indicated that the most likely cause of the failure was rubbing or chaffing of the sensing wiring harness, which led to arcing between terminal block posts, heat buildup, insulation failure and eventual winding ring terminal connection failure. NTSB investigators determined it is likely the chaffing of the wiring harness took place over the 72 hours the genset ran between a November 7 maintenance inspection and the grounding on November 21. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the grounding was a loss of steering, likely due to a wiring harness within an electrical generator that was improperly positioned during a maintenance inspection, resulting in the harness contacting the terminal posts, eventually causing the loss of 3-phase electrical power to the steering pump motors. “Proper operation and maintenance of electrical equipment is required to avoid damage to vessel critical systems and prevent potentially serious crew injuries, particularly for electrical systems with high and medium voltage and equipment with uninsulated and exposed components,” the report said. “Electrical equipment should be installed, serviced, and maintained by qualified personnel familiar with the construction and operation of the equipment and the hazards involved.”

RAIL

8 September 2022: Imperial County, California

On September 8, 2022, about 2:40 a.m. local time, a conductor and engineer of Union Pacific Railroad (UP) train ISILB5-07 were killed when the train collided with railcars stored in a siding near Imperial County, California. The train was traveling eastbound about 28 mph on Mainline 2 when a UP dispatcher routed it into the west end of the signal-controlled siding (Bertram siding) at milepost 646.1 on the Yuma subdivision. The train then collided with 92 empty intermodal railcars that had been stored at milepost 646.3 since December 2021. The two lead locomotives and one intermodal railcar of UP train ISILB5-07 derailed, along with two of the empty stored intermodal railcars.

MARITIME

29 November 2022: Gran Canaria, Spain

Three stowaways were found sitting on the rudder of a ship as it concluded an 11-day voyage from Nigeria, according to Spanish Coast Guard authorities. A photo shared by the coastguard shows the three men sitting on the rudder at the stern of the oil tanker, their feet dangling several feet above the water. The men were taken to hospital at the tanker’s destination in Gran Canaria and treated for dehydration. It’s unknown if they spent the entire journey perched on the rudder or were stowing away in other areas of the ship. The ship originated in Lagos, Nigeria, 2700 miles away.

RAIL

28 October 2022: Beaumont, Texas

On October 28, 2022, about 12:02 a.m. local time, a PSC Group train conductor was struck and killed by train 3832 during a reverse movement at the ExxonMobil refinery plant in Beaumont, Texas. The train consisted of one locomotive and 19 tank cars. The conductor, part of a four-person PSC Group train crew, was protecting (spotting) the train movement from the ground to position the rear tank car near the end of track 7 for product loading. Visibility conditions at the time of the accident were dark with clear skies, and the temperature was 64°F.

ROAD

22 October 2022: Santiago, Chile

The burglary of a shop in Chile culminated in a car chase and subsequently, money being spread across a highway. According to local media, the alleged burglars tried to steal approximately $10,300 – 10m Chilean pesos. Six people were arrested. Fortunately, most of the money was recovered by police.

MARITIME

5 December 2022: Seaports in Algeria, Cyprus, France, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia

Two terrorist suspects wanted internationally under Red Notices have been arrested during an international maritime border operation coordinated by INTERPOL. Another eight investigative leads linked to terrorism were generated during Operation Neptune IV (1 July – 3 September) which targeted terrorist suspects and other criminals involved in serious organized crime travelling via maritime routes between North Africa and Southern Europe. The intelligence-led operation was supported by an INTERPOL team on the ground, and also targeted criminal networks involved in the drugs trade, firearms trafficking, human trafficking and people smuggling. Officials at seaports and airports in eight countries – Algeria, Cyprus, France, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia – carried out more than 2.6 million checks across INTERPOL’s databases for stolen and lost travel documents, nominal data and stolen vehicles via its I-24/7 secure global police communications network. These checks generated 140 hits, resulting in 14 additional arrests following seizures worth USD 3.6 million, including: 33 kg of cocaine, some 39,400 ecstasy pills, 133 kg of cannabis, and ten stolen cars. Ten firearms were also seized.

ROAD

28 November 2022: El Paso, Texas

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Stanton Street dedicated commuter lane border crossing seized 19.78 pounds of cocaine from a traveler enrolled in the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) lane. “The use of SENTRI is a privilege but participants are not exempt from inspection,” said CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio. The seizure occurred when a minivan arrived at the Stanton Street dedicated commuter lane from Mexico. A CBP officer conducting primary inspections selected and referred the vehicle for a secondary inspection. A non-intrusive x-ray scan and physical inspection of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of multiple cocaine filled bundles hidden within the dashboard area. The driver was a 71-year-old male Mexican citizen. The narcotics and vehicle were seized and the driver was turned over to the El Paso Sheriff’s Office to face charges in connection with the failed smuggling attempt.