Signals Intelligence and Palm Reading – Identity News Digest

Welcome to FindBiometrics’ digest of identity industry news. Here’s what you need to know about the world of digital identity and biometrics today:

US Army Aims for Stronger Signals Intelligence

The US Army’s Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors, or PEO IEW&S, is looking to bundle a number of discrete signals-intelligence technologies into a unified program of record in fiscal 2025, an effort aimed at modernizing the “Theater SIGINT System”, or “TSIGS”. The various products were developed quickly for rapid deployment in the field. Collecting them into a program of record will allow the Army to upgrade the overall system in a more strategic way going forward. A range of technologies are encompassed in PEO IEW&S’s work, including biometric tools and missile warning systems.

SiLC Technologies Extends LIDAR Range to Two Kilometers

SiLC Technologies says its new Eyeonic Vision Sensor for computer vision has a range of two kilometers, the top range of any LIDAR sensor on the market. The company aims to develop solutions for areas like robotics, autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, and biometrics; and in a statement announcing the breakthrough, SiLC asserted that the Eyeonic Vision Sensor’s extended range would be “pivotal in applications such as uncrewed autonomous system (UAS) detection and discrimination”. The US government has shown interest in such technologies. In September, its Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) awarded a $12 million R&D grant to a team of researchers at Michigan State University studying long-range biometric identification.

STMicroelectronics Launches New Global-Shutter Sensor

STMicroelectronics has launched VD55G1, a new global-shutter sensor that is power-efficient and compact, at 2.7mm x 2.2mm. Its native resolution is 800 x 700 pixels, and the company is pitching it at a range of potential applications including smart glasses, AR/VR headsets, and biometric systems. Global-shutter sensors are designed to capture an entire image frame at once, rather than line by line as in the case of rolling-shutter sensors, making them particularly useful in imaging fast-moving subjects. The VD55G1 is sampling now, and STMicroelectronics says it will begin volume production in March of 2024.

IDEMIA to Deliver Biometric Passenger Processing Tech to South African Airports

IDEMIA will deploy its Passenger Flow Facilitation (PFF) solution across nine South African airports, thanks to a contract from Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), which operates the airports. The arrangement is part of a broader digital transformation project that has been underway for several months. This past summer, ACSA revealed that this would entail the implementation of a biometric border control system in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs. The overarching PFF solution, dubbed “ID2Travel”, is expected to be fully deployed across all nine airports in 2026.

NEXT Biometrics Gets New Order for FAP20 Sensors

NEXT Biometrics has received a new order for its Active Thermal FAP20 fingerprint sensors as part of a larger agreement with an Asia-based distributor. First announced in May of this year, the three-year agreement is structured as a preferred supplier contract with a minimum volume commitment; now, NEXT has signed off in its initial order. NEXT says its deliveries are starting this month, and that most of the stock is expected to be consumed by end of Q1 of 2024. The news comes shortly after NEXT’s appointment of three new executives, including Joshua Chiu, its SVP and Head of Sales for South-East Asia. With other orders coming in from India’s Aadhaar market, NEXT says it is continuing “to rapidly scale its operations”.

Met Police Arrest Seven in Latest Live Facial Recognition Deployment

The UK’s Metropolitan Police have announced seven arrests in the town of Croydon after a public deployment of facial recognition technology. The tech matched individuals to criminal databases, with the end result being the apprehension of seven men wanted for various offences including rape, robbery, and burglary, among others. It’s the latest sign of the growing enthusiasm for facial recognition tech among British police forces, with Japan’s NEC being a key vendor.

RealMe Pivots to Palm Unlock

The China-based smartphone brand RealMe has opted for a novel biometric authentication method in its newest smartphone. The GT5 Pro lets users unlock it with a wave of the hand, thanks to palm recognition technology. It also lets users swap between apps and take screenshots with hand gestures. Presumably, it is aimed at an untapped market of smartphone users who don’t like to actually touch their phone. RealMe, which shares a parent company with Oppo (BBK Electronics) has launched the new device in China, and is aiming for a European launch in early 2024.

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December 8, 2023 – by Alex Perala