Biometric technology in development for several auto applications

A growing number of technology providers and auto makers are working on implementing biometrics for several different use cases, from personalization to driver monitoring to vehicle access.

Personalization from Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover is developing a facial recognition system to allow motorists to adjust vehicle settings with facial expressions, Fox News reports.

Biometric sensors will monitor drivers to modify cabin settings, including heating, lighting, and media. The system will automatically play a favorite podcast or song to a bored driver, lower the temperature to keep a tired driver alert, and learn personal preferences over time with artificial intelligence, according to the report. The company is also working on a similar system for passengers in the rear seats.

Biometric seats from Bentley

Bentley has unveiled a new concept car based on its forecasts for the industry in 2035, according to Esquire Middle East, which includes biometric seats.

In addition to monitoring temperature, passenger position, and blood pressure, the biometric seats will sense when the driver is actually driving, and when she or he is being driven by the car. A voice-activated personal assistant is the main feature of the control panel, Esquire reports, and enables control over many aspects of the vehicle’s operation.

Driver state warning system from Hyundai Mobis

Hyundai Mobis has announced the development of a Driver State Warning (DSW) system with biometric facial recognition and eye tracking to prevent traffic accidents caused by careless driving.

Existing systems only recognize the direction of the driver’s face and whether the driver’s eyes are open or closed. The new DSW system from Hyundai Mobis features an infrared camera which detects the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears as well as pupils to provide a new level of careless driving accuracy, according to the announcement. The system detects careless driving caused by drowsiness, distraction and fatigue, as well as detecting and providing alerts for lane departures. The new DSW system is expected to be implemented in mid and full-sized commercial vehicles in Korea in 2021.

The driver identification feature supports registration of multiple drivers, and the company is considering integrating it with personalization features, such as automatic seat and mirror adjustments.

Hyundai Mobis announced a strategic partnership with Deep Glint and investment of $5 million to integrate its facial recognition technology earlier this year.

Biometric vehicle access from FogHorn and Porsche

Intelligent edge computing software developer FogHorn has announced the results of a collaboration with Porsche to provide vehicle access with real-time facial recognition with infrared video processing at the edge, along with multifactor authentication via a device such as a smartphone.

The partnership for a 100-day challenge was completed under Program 6 of Startup Autobahn, which is the largest European innovation platform and accelerator for leading automotive organizations and promising startups, according to the announcement.

“Through Plug and Play’s Startup Autobahn, FogHorn developed an innovative way for the automotive industry to leverage video analytics with edge computing to accelerate onboard intelligence,” says Chad Boulanger, managing director of EMEA at FogHorn. “FogHorn collaborated with Porsche to create a prototype that enabled drivers to easily access their vehicles, while minimizing breach or tampering risks.”

FogHorn CEO David King told SiliconANGLE late last year that the whole software stack behind the technology requires only about 100 megabytes in total.

Article Topics

access management  |  automotive biometrics  |  biometrics  |  cars  |  eye tracking  |  facial recognition  |  identity verification  |  monitoring  |  multi-factor authentication  |  personalization  |  voice