Dubai has developed a reputation for excess, from its over-the-top skyscrapers to its intricately shaped manmade islands. Now, the city’s airport is taking on security in an equally extravagant way by replacing its security checkpoints with tunnel-shaped virtual aquariums that scan visitors’ faces, The National reports.

According to Obaid Al Hameeri, deputy director general of Dubai residency and foreign affairs, the idea behind hiding the face recognition technology inside the aquariums is to draw attention without standing out as an obvious checkpoint. The images also encourage travelers to look around in different directions, giving the hidden sensors the chance to capture their faces from multiple angles.

“The fish is a sort of entertainment and something new for the traveler but, at the end of the day, it attracts the vision of the travelers to different corners in the tunnel for the cameras to capture his/her face print,” Al Hameeri said. He added that the virtual display used for the aquarium show an image that is “of very high quality and gives a simulation of a real-life aquarium.”

Fish are not the only thing the face-scanning virtual tunnel can display. The screen can show other neutral scenes, such as landscapes or, if the airport really wants to annoy travelers, it could show ads.

When travelers reach the end of the tunnel, they will see a green message telling them to continue if they are approved. Otherwise, they see a red message that tells them to wait for a security check. The airport plans to install the first of its virtual security tunnels in 2018 at the terminal that houses Emirates Airline, the country’s official airline, which is owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates. Tunnels will also be installed in other terminals in the airport by 2020.

“We are always vigilant, always working with police and national security… so vigilance and collective responsibility is what has kept us safe,” Dubai Airport Chief Executive Paul Griffiths told The National. “We are trying to minimize disruption to the customer journey and develop new measures that will develop security standards, because obviously the threat is increasing.”

Face recognition has gained popularity as computer vision technology has improved over the recent years, and it is becoming a more common tool to streamline security. Recent examples include Face ID from the new iPhone X, as well as Facebook Inc.’s recent tests with account recovery.

Photo: G · RTM Burj Khalifa looking North, Dubai, 20170404 via photopin (license)