Palm vein biometrics and 3D facial recognition built into new LG G8 ThinQ smartphone

The latest LG smartphone features 3D face and 3D palm vein biometrics recognition powered by its Time-of-Flight Z Camera and infrared sensors, the company announced at Mobile World Congress 2019.

The LG G8 ThinQ features facial biometric technology powered by Xperi Corporation subsidiary FotoNation’s FaceSafe for device unlocking, which combines a low false acceptance rate (FAR) and low single-digit false recognition rate (FRR) with attention detection and anti-spoofing technologies to detect print, video, and 3D mask attacks, according to the announcement. FotoNation also provides 3D relighting technology, which the company says provides professional grade lighting and feature enhancements for superior portraits and selfies. Air Motion gesture recognition is also implemented in the Z Camera. Infineon and pmdtechnologies provide time-of-flight infrared technology and algorithms for the device’s 3D facial recognition.

“We are thrilled to partner with LG to implement FotoNation’s FaceSafe and 3D relighting solutions in the G8 ThinQ and bring these robust security and imaging solutions to market,” says Geir Skaaden, executive vice president, chief products and services officer at Xperi Corporation. “These solutions deliver superior security, protection and customization that address critical needs in mobile market.”

Xperi will showcase its FaceSafe technology, which it says is the first commercially available front-facing time-of-flight 3D face recognition solution, at MWC. The company is demonstrating the neural network-powered software with a pmdtechnologies time-of-flight sensor at its booth. FotoNation’s imaging analytics also include body detection enhanced photo background processing, in-car passenger monitoring, and gesture recognition, and the company’s IrisXR iris authentication product for the AR, VR, and MR markets includes state-of-the-art liveness detection, the company says in an announcement.

The LG G8 ThinQ is the first to offer LG’s Hand ID, which measures the shape, thickness, and other characteristics of the veins in the user’s palm, which the company says provides greater security than fingerprint biometrics and unlocks the device in less than a second through sensing by the front-facing camera. Both biometric modalities are unaffected by ambient light, and LG says that by offering multiple forms of biometric authentication, it is delivering more options for smartphone security and enabling users to choose which is more convenient in a given circumstance.

The G8 ThinQ runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (SM8150) chipset, and also features an integrated fingerprint sensor. The device is expected to reach public availability in the coming months.

Article Topics

3D  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  Fotonation  |  gesture recognition  |  Hand ID  |  LG  |  palm biometrics  |  palm vein authentication  |  smartphones  |  vein biometrics