Zwipe develops new inlay for biometric payment devices using 70 percent less power

Zwipe has developed a way to reduce the power consumption of its dual interface biometric payment card by 70 percent while also reducing cost, according to a company announcement.

In collaboration with embedded solutions firm Cypress Semiconductor Corp, Zwipe has developed an MCU (microcontroller unit) based on Cypress PSoC 6 MCU for ultra-low power biometric applications in ultra-thin form factors such as payment cards, wearables, and IoT devices. The MCU will support Zwipe’s next-generation inlay solution, the company says.

Zwipe formed a partnership with Tappy Technologies to develop biometric wearables for payments in October.

“Minimized power consumption, optimized processing capabilities and power harvesting are essential performance requirements for successful implementation of battery-less, contactless (dual interface) biometric payment cards,” comments Zwipe CEO André Løvestam. “With our patented technology platform, Zwipe is already the undisputed leader in power harvesting and power management. This latest technological achievement can prove to be a market disruptor and is a key milestone in Generation NxT, Zwipe’s internal supply chain readiness and cost reduction project, further strengthening our lead and first mover advantage.”

“This is the culmination of a year of joint development with Zwipe, where we have combined the best of two worlds, leveraging our expertise in embedded computing, security and application integration and the ultra-low-power and performance of our PSoC 6 architecture, with Zwipe’s market leading biometric and power harvesting technology,” says Cypress Microcontrollers and Connectivity Division Vice President John Weil. “For Cypress, this collaboration is yet another example of our technology embedded in tomorrow.”

Zwipe’s next-generation inlay is currently being integrated with biometric payment cards which will be submitted for certification during the first half of 2019 by its manufacturing partners. The company recently appointed a new Head of Certification, and also launched a suite of white label biometric payment card enrollment products.

Article Topics

biometric cards  |  biometrics  |  IoT  |  microcontroller  |  payments  |  research and development  |  wearables  |  Zwipe