Welsh Innovation, a Big Capital Raise, and a Biometric Seat – 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:

South Wales Police Trial Mobile Facial Recognition System

South Wales Police are reportedly trialing a mobile-based facial recognition system designed to help them match suspects to criminal databases in the field. According to Norfolk Live, about 50 officers are testing the software. Policing officials have been increasingly vocal about their enthusiasm for facial recognition technology in recent months, with South Wales Police having been an early adopter. The police force recently deployed live facial recognition to aid in security around recent Harry Styles and Beyoncé concerts.

Touch Biometrix Claims Biggest TFT Sensor

Wales-based Touch Biometrix says it has developed the world’s largest and thinnest capacitive fingerprint sensor based on Thin-Film Transistor technology. The TCAP60 sensor offers 500 pixels-per-inch, and is scalable to any shape or size, according to the company. It is manufactured by Sharp Display Technology, and uses Touch Biometrix’s proprietary chip design, ROIC (for “Read Out IC”). Touch Biometrix, which was energized by a £2 million investment from the UK VC firm Deepbridge Capital in 2019, says it will showcase the new FAP 60 sensor at next year’s Consumer Electronics Show in January.

White House Names Acting Cyber Director

The White House has named Drenan Dudley as the acting National Cyber Director as its official nominee for the post, Harry Coker, makes his way through the Senate. The office has not had a permanent director since Chris Inglis made his departure in February; Kemba Walden had served as interim director for the past several months. Dudley will move into the role from her current position as the White House’s Deputy National Cyber Director for Strategy and Budget; previously, she spent 15 years working for the Senate Appropriations Committee. Coker, meanwhile, got the approval of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last week.

Seychelles Embraces Remote Passport Applications

Seychelles’ Minister of Internal Affairs and Immigration, Errol Fonseka, has revealed plans to let people get biometric passports while living abroad. The initiative will begin in France, the location of Groupe Imprimerie Nationale, which won a contract to provide Seychelles e-passports in late 2021. Other locations for remote passport enrolment will be determined based on factors include relative size of diaspora and resources available in consular missions. The news comes after the Nigerian government announced plans for remote biometric passport applications last week.

authID Anticipates $9.4M Through Direct Offering

authID expects to raise about $9.4 million from a newly announced registered direct offering, which entails the sale of 1,574,990 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $6.00 per share. In a statement, CEO Rhon Daguro emphasized the company’s growth expectations, asserted that authID’s management team had doubled their target for Booked Annual Recurring Revenue (a non-GAAP measure) from $3 million to $6 million by Q2 of next year. “This fully subscribed investment by the shareholders, fellow Directors, and new investors is a tremendous sign of confidence in our mission, and we thank all investors for their continuing support,” he said.

Subaru’s Biometric Driver Monitoring Returns

Subaru’s biometric driver monitoring system has once again returned in the newest version of its popular Forester SUV. The DriverFocus system uses face biometrics to scan for signs of drowsiness or fatigue on the part of the driver, activating cruise control and other assistive systems if necessary. It first made its debut in the 2019 Subaru Forester, and will be back in the 2025 Forester unveiled at last week’s Los Angeles Auto Show, reinforcing an ongoing automotive biometrics trend.

Finnish Firm Developing Biometric Chair

Framery, a Finnish company specializing in soundproof teleconferencing pods for offices, is working on an office chair with embedded biometric sensors. Speaking to Business Insider, CEO Samu Hällfors asserted that the system “can measure heart rate, heart-rate variability, breathing rate, and the nervousness of the people.” The aim is to help companies track employee well-being, including psychological health. The company has also patented a system of tracking laughter based on body movements.

–

November 20, 2023 – by Alex Perala