trinamiX showcases invisible face biometrics behind OLED for cars and phones

BASF subsidiary trinamiX GmbH is unveiling new face biometrics tech for automobiles and smartphones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from February 26 to 29. A pair of releases from the firm, which works in biometrics and mobile near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, provide showcase details for invisible integrations of trinamiX Face Authentication behind OLED displays in driver interfaces and smartphones.

Built to meet maximal biometric security standards set by the International Internet Finance Authentication Alliance (IIFAA), the FIDO Alliance and Android (Google), the Face Authentication system is equipped with algorithmic liveness detection that can recognize real human skin. This combines with traditional 2D face detection for optimal security against spoofing with realistic masks or AI-generated deepfakes.

For cars, the feature will enable contactless unlocking and ignition via a two-stage biometric access control system for user authentication, integrated into both the external B-pillar and the inside driver display. (The system was designed in collaboration with Continental Automotive.)

The dual system opens up user options for access configuration; for instance, while all members of a family could be given access to a vehicle through the B-pillar, the driver display Face Authentication would restrict children from starting the ignition or making digital payments. The system is unique in being the first to incorporate these features invisibly behind an OLED driver display.

Face Authentication also goes under semi-transparent smartphone OLED

For its smartphone biometrics system, trinamiX partnered with Visionox, which provides the semi-transparent OLED display, and with the French semiconductor firm STMicroelectronics, which contributes a global-shutter CMOS sensor with improved NIR sensitivity.

The mobile Face Authentication module is compact at 13 x 8 x 4.4 mm, but includes flood and dot illumination and a camera module built on ST’s improved sensor.

“Its class-leading pixel and advanced performances make our global-shutter image sensor a perfect match for use in trinamiX’s secure Face Authentication systems,” says David Maucotel, head of the personal electronics, industrial and mass-market product business line at ST’s imaging sub-group. “It is ideal for creating ultra-compact modules and their easy integration into smartphones.”

Easy – and competitively priced. Stefan Metz, director of consumer electronics Asia for trinamiX, says its “focus is on the ideal balance between premium performance and cost efficiency. Thanks to our partners Visionox and STMicroelectronics, it is now even easier for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to integrate our solution in their new generations of smartphones.”

The integration will be available to OEMs in six to nine months, but will be on display at the trinamiX booth in Hall 6, E68, and on the ST booth in Hall 7, Booth A61, at the Mobile World Congress.

Article Topics

automotive biometrics  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  facial authentication  |  MWC  |  smartphones  |  trinamiX