Biometric entry and connected-car applications popular at CES 2018

Numerous concept cars and connected-car systems featuring integrated biometrics are being showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week. Many of the systems feature facial recognition for vehicle entry and operation, and voice recognition for vehicle operation and utilizing advanced features.

Chinese electric car startup Byton is displaying an SUV concept car which grants access and turns on with integrated facial recognition, and also features gesture and voice recognition for operation, and integration with Amazon’s Alexa, MotorAuthority reports.

FaceTec and IAV Automotive Engineering announced they have partnered to demonstrate FaceTec’s 3D face login software “ZoOm” as part of the “James” connected car project. In addition to vehicle access, ZoOm’s biometric authentication can be used with various connected car applications.

“We’re very excited to partner on this advanced transportation engineering project with IAV. As vehicles increasingly rely on digital access operation management it is imperative that only authorized individuals gain access and control of the vehicle,” said Kevin Alan Tussy, CEO of FaceTec. “AI-driven, ZoOm’s ease of use and unmatched levels of biometric security make it a perfect match for this critical implementation. ZoOm’s 3D face recognition algorithms verify that only the authorized user has access to the vehicle, and the 3D depth and liveness detection proves that individual is present in person – not a photo or video spoof.”

Gentex is demonstrating a set of connected-car technologies, including an iris scan security system which allows the driver to operate the vehicle by glancing at the rearview mirror, where an iris-scanning camera is mounted. The biometric system can then provide secure access to cloud-based services, according to the announcement.

Panasonic is preparing to unveil its “Living Space Autonomous Cabin,” according to Jalopnik sources, though it is uncertain what capabilities its mysterious concept car with showcase.

Volkswagon’s I.D. Buzz concept vehicle uses artificial intelligence (AI) from Nvidia to recognize the driver’s face as he or she approaches the vehicle, and set the interior according to the driver’s preferences, Autoweek reports.

It features Drive IX and Drive AR, new capabilities of Nvidia’s Xavier processor, which has previously been used to enable self-driving cars with the Drive AV function. Drive IX “Intelligent Co-Pilot” uses the profile identified by the facial recognition system to set the language for voice recognition, and provides gesture recognition and gaze tracking, among other features.

“In just a few years, every new vehicle should have AI assistants for voice, gesture and facial recognition as well as augmented reality,” said Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia.

Article Topics

automotive biometrics  |  biometrics  |  FaceTec  |  Gentex  |  identity verification  |  Nvidia  |  Panasonic