Auto maker Jaguar Land Rover has filed a patent that could do away with car keys. Entitled “Door Access System for a Vehicle”, the patent filing describes an innovative door unlocking system based on biometric identification.
A camera installed on the car would be connected to a biometric software system that would be able to identify a driver as she approaches the car, both via facial recognition and even gait recognition. The patent filing also describes how the system could go a step further by allowing drivers to unlock particular doors with established hand gestures, and notes that the introduction of an additional key fob could further enhance the system’s security.
While some car makers are currently experimenting with mobile apps that allow users to unlock their car doors remotely, Jaguar’s system would establish a passive authentication mechanism that wouldn’t require any special effort from a driver, other than the initial biometric registration. Of course, it’s easy to imagine scenarios in which the mounted camera’s view is somehow obscured – by a layer of snow, for example – in which case some kind of backup mechanism would be needed. But it’s another example of how biometrics is making its way into the automotive sector, with Zipcar already letting users access its short-term rental cars via mobile selfie, and Samsung having, and Frost & Sullivan predicting that biometrics “will radically transform the driving experience” in a recent report.
Sources: The Sun, PCMag, Google Patents
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November 24, 2016 – by Alex Perala
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