Biometrics

If terrorists aimed to frustrate millions of air travelers with time consuming pre-flight baggage searches they definitely seem to have made progress, but new technologies used to analyze human behavior could provide an alternative to the time consuming process of analyzing the content of passengers’ carry-on luggage. These systems would detect signs of emotional strain that could indicate that a passenger may intend to commit an act of terror. It might sound like science fiction, but such technology is much further advanced than most might think, and it’s not surprising that Israel, a country that faces constant security threats, has become a leader in developing such technologies. Read More

June 6, 2008 Consumers are increasingly attracted to the security and convenience offered by fingerprint scanners. Not only does it ensure the confidentiality of computer files, it's a silver bullet for the frustrated segment of the market that is running short on favorite sports teams and childhood pets to use as passwords. The latest example of fingerprint reading being brought to the broader consumer market comes UPEK, which has launched the TCS5 TouchStrip Fingerprint Sensor, a system that uses High Definition 3 Dimensional amplified sensing technology to read past the surface of skin to the “live layer”. The TCS5 is set to be included on 2009 Notebook PC models and is currently being demonstrated to select PC manufacturers at Computex Taipei. Read More

May 19, 2008 Bioscrypt has launched its next generation VisionAccess 3D face reader. Using the entire facial surface structure of a person’s face, the reader can authenticate users in less than one second, even in complete darkness. Read More

April 16, 2008 AuthenTec has announced a thin, durable, waterproof, and surface-mountable covering for its TruePrint biometric fingerprint sensors. Known as TouchStone, the thin casing triples the protective coating over the sensitive technology, shielding it from accidental scratching by coins, keys, pens and anything else you may find in your pocket. Read More

March 4, 2008 As security of personal information becomes more important, new technologies are emerging in the fight for privacy protection, fraud prevention and increased security. One of these is vein pattern recognition, and biometric company Snowflake Technologies has just released a prototype identity verification system based on this technology. Read More

February 19, 2008 Lockheed Martin has received a ten-year, $1 billion contract from the FBI to develop and maintain the Next Generation Identification system, which will expand fingerprint capacity to double the size of its current database, and incorporate palm print, iris, and facial recognition capabilities. The system is also designed to incorporate other biometric modalities that may become important in the future. Read More

January 15, 2008 Biometric security specialist UPEK has launched a software solution allowing Mac users to connect to its Eikon Digital Privacy Manager USB fingerprint reader. Announced at Macworld in San Francisco this week, the UPEK Protector Suite® for Mac software supports Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and OS X 10.5 Leopard. Read More

Performance engineering specialist BERU f1systems has provided a glimpse of its intriguing new project - the Factor 001 bicycle. Best known for its involvement in Formula 1 racing and as a supplier for supercars like the Bugatti Veyron, the company's latest innovation rolls advanced electronics into a high-tech package that includes carbon chassis, ceramic brakes and bespoke drivetrain. Marked by square, clean lines and its completely metallic finish, the prototype is designed primarily as an advanced training tool, with stored biometric data such as heart and respiration rate available for downloaded for post-training analysis. Read More

December 4, 2007 Theft of personal navigation devices (PNDs) is on the rise with several European and US cities reporting that GPS devices are the most commonly stolen items in cars today. To combat this, MEDION AG and AuthenTec have announced the launch of the world’s first personal navigation device to use a fingerprint sensor to enhance user security and deter device theft. Read More