IriTech, Patron Team Up On Biometric Module for AR/VR Smart Glasses

“The biometric technology will enable convenient user authentication while wearing a smart glasses or headset product, while the eye tracking will help to facilitate interaction with Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality interfaces.”

Amid growing excitement about the Metaverse, iris recognition specialist IriTech is looking to get ahead of the game via a partnership with Patron Co. that will see the two collaborate on a biometric module aimed primarily at smart glasses applications.

The companies’ planned module will feature infrared LEDs, and support both iris recognition and eye tracking capabilities. The biometric technology will enable convenient user authentication while wearing a smart glasses or headset product, while the eye tracking will help to facilitate interaction with Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality interfaces.

Korea-based Patron Co. will handle the manufacturing, having established itself as a specialist in phone antenna and camera module making. IriTech, meanwhile, is well known for its biometric technology, which has been used in consumer products and national ID programs, among other applications; and in a statement announcing the collaboration, the company explained that gaze tracking is a “byproduct” of its biometric tech.

In their announcement, the companies pointed to escalating activity in the emerging Metaverse space, in which major tech companies like “Facebook, Microsoft, Nvidia, Fortnite’s owner Epic Games, and even Apple are investing billions of dollars”.

Facebook unveiled its first attempt at smart glasses this week. The product of a collaboration with Ray-Ban, the smart glasses support music streaming, phone calls, and photo and video capture. The smart glasses don’t yet support the kind of AR/VR capabilities found in Facebook’s Oculus headset, but are generally seen as a step in that direction with respect to everyday wearables.

For IriTech, the trend appears promising, given the applications offered by its biometric technology.

“IriTech has possessed key software components needed for a successful AR/VR/MR device: fast eye-gaze tracking and accurate user identification including Deep Learning technology,” asserted IriTech founder and CEO Dr. Daehoon Kim. “With Patron’s expertise in camera sensor and optics design, we will be able to offer them in a compact and complete hardware and software package for optimal performance and cost.”

–

September 10, 2021 – by Alex Perala