FotoNation Limited has acquired Smart Sensors Limited (SSL) in a bid to expand the biometric capabilities of its products. The acquisition closed in the fourth quarter of last year.
FotoNation specializes in providing face recognition and tracking technology for deployment in high-end digital cameras and smartphones. SSL, meanwhile, develops iris recognition systems, and has engineered biometric key creation tools that work across a number of platforms. Speaking in a press release, FotoNation SVP and General Manager Petronel Bigioi explained that the company’s integration of SSL’s technology “with FotoNation’s class-leading face detection, tracking and recognition capacities will enable our customers to deliver unique solutions tailored for mobile devices and other high volume products, with exciting opportunities in the growing field of biometric authentication and identification.”
It’s a smart move as face and iris scanning technology is increasingly adopted into mainstream applications in a variety of deployments. Both modalities could be used together to provide advanced authentication for such purposes as phone unlocking or access control, for example; and as the Internet of Things expands they could be used by a number of household devices for a wide range of purposes. Such solutions could even prove useful in helping retailers identify their customers.
—
February 23, 2015 – by Alex Perala
Follow Us