Nuggets brings biometrics to delivery confirmation as industry offers solutions for new working normal

Biometrics continue to be applied to supporting economic re-opening, with new offerings featuring facial recognition and thermal screening for access control, but also biometric confirmation of deliveries, identification of people wearing protective gear, and mobile apps. Nuggets, TensorMark and Vuzix, SAFR from RealNetworks, Office Visions and BioConnect have all announced new technologies, as analysts begin to release their updated estimates for market growth based on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Global Industry Analysts have revised their forecast for growth in the face and voice biometrics market up to a 17.8 percent CAGR, for a total gain of $15.5 billion from 2020 to 2027, with new demand generated by the pandemic.

The 293-page “Face and Voice Biometrics – Global Market Trajectory & Analytics” suggests face biometrics will increase at an 18.2 percent CAGR to a market size of $15.1 billion by 2027, as the market adjusts to the continuous redefinition and redesign of the new normal. The report considers the market by modality, region, and end-use type, and identifies key market players.

Nuggets launches delivery confirmation service

Nuggets has launched a service to enable retailers to leverage its digital identity and payments platform with biometric verification for contactless delivery confirmation to combat the skyrocketing cost of fraud and chargebacks.

(Nuggets contactless delivery, biometrically verified)

Social distancing rules due to COVID-19 have disrupted package receipt signing practices, and retailers are using new or unfamiliar delivery services to reach their customers, Nuggets says, and failed deliveries in the UK are reported to cost roughly £1.6bn (US$2 billion).

A confirmation of delivery, as verified by the customer’s biometrics, is stored on the blockchain to provide an efficient and effective was to prevent delivery-related chargebacks. Retailers integrate Nuggets identity and payment platform into their checkout processes, and end-users download the Nuggets app to their Android or iOS device to confirm delivery. Nuggets claims its solution can even be used to verify customer reviews.

Nuggets CEO and Co-founder Alistair Johnson notes that merchants are already stretched by circumstances, making chargeback disputes a difficult challenge to address.

“The combination of the astronomical costs facing our eCommerce businesses, from fraudulent chargebacks, to failed deliveries and fake user reviews, big savings can be delivered by having Nuggets integrated,” he says. “With virtually no upfront investment, merchants can better manage their chargebacks spanning from COVID-19 and start safeguarding their revenues.”

On its website, Nuggets notes the cost of inconvenience, frustration, and reputational damage from last-mile delivery problems, and notes a long list of potential benefits, including loyalty and rewards incentives and regulatory compliance.

TensorMark to offer Vuzix glasses in expanded partnership

Vuzix and TensorMark have expanded a recently-announced partnership to implement facial recognition on Blade Smart Glasses, under which TensorMark will offer the integrated solution as part of its return-to-work initiative.

TensorMark is providing its facial recognition technology to the University Hospitals health network in the U.S. The solution is also recommended for workplaces, restaurants, and entertainment venues.

SAFR launches identification for people wearing protective gear

RealNetworks has launched a SAFR platform for the EMEA market that provides facial recognition of people wearing sunglasses, masks and hats to enable the identification of people wearing protective clothing.

(SAFR recognizes AprilTags to identify people obscured by protective clothing)

In addition to facial recognition, which the company says performs at 99.87 percent accuracy in less than 50 milliseconds according to NIST, the platform authenticates people through the AprilTag badge, an augmented reality (AR) marker developed at the University of Michigan. The system is recommended for hospitals and health centers for applications such as contactless access control and door opening, messaging, and records management.

“We were looking for a solid solution for touchless authentication to provide access to a construction side,” explains Konica Minolta Hungary Technical Project Engineer Szabó Zoltán. “SAFR from RealNetworks was the perfect fit as it provides the capability to recognize not only faces but also so-called april tags so you can either use face only or april tag only but also create a 2-factor-authentication by combining both. SAFR works perfectly well with the T26 doorstation from Mobotix and the setup was straight forward due to the versatile integration capabilities of SAFR.”

SAFR with AprilTag functionality can be deployed on-site, in the cloud, on an internal device, or embedded in a camera, according to the announcement.

Facial biometrics and fever screening launched in Wales

Welsh company Office Visions is offering an access control system with facial recognition and temperature measurement to support safe work environments, News from Wales reports.

The system can be wall-mounted or free-standing, measures temperature within 0.3 degrees Celsius between 0.3 and 0.7 meters away, and sounds an alarm if a fever is detected.

BioConnect launches mobile solution

BioConnect has launched a mobile solution for physical access control based on ‘health status step up’ authentication requests to support business re-opening.

The new Wellness Declaration solution allows employees to declare any risks such as current health symptoms, recent positive COVID-19 tests, or being flagged by contact tracing. Entrance access to a building or workplace can then be granted or denied based on potential health risks. Health details are stored on the end-users phone, and not transmitted, protecting personal data privacy.

“We are committed to helping our current and future customers keep their employees and facilities safe and secure, by adding a wellness declaration to BioConnect Link’s mobile application as part of a dynamic rules-based access platform to facilitate the opening of their facilities as safely as possible,” comments BioConnect Chairman and CEO Rob Douglas. “As part of our BioConnect Cares Initiative, our new wellness declaration solution will be included at no additional charge for any organization using BioConnect Link.”

Article Topics

authentication  |  BioConnect  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  contactless biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  fever detection  |  mobile app  |  Nuggets  |  RealNetworks  |  SAFR  |  TensorMark  |  thermal  |  Vuzix  |  wearables