Infant.ID updates biometric scanner for infants and advances research

Brazil-based Infant.ID has developed a new, more compact and efficient version of its fingerprint biometric scanner for newborns.

The company is presenting the second-generation fingerprint scanner at the upcoming Digital Citizenship Congress in Brazil, September 16 to 18. Digital Citizenship Congress is the country’s largest citizenship and identification conference.

The upgraded scanner processes high-definition images with AI software, and is designed for use immediately after birth, such as in delivery rooms. The technology is backed by a U.S. patent, and FBI certification, Infant.ID says.

The company intends for its biometric scanner to be used for identification and preventing crimes like human trafficking, illegal adoption and identity theft. Infant.ID’s website states that over 30,000 children are abducted in Brazil each year, on average. The scanner’s development is also aligned with United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.9, to provide legal identity to all by 2030, including birth registration, according to the announcement.

Infant.ID’s technology is certified in six Brazilian states, and deployed in Latin America and Saudi Arabia.

Promising study results

World Bank Technical Advisor Tariq Malik noted a research project in South America showing that infant fingerprints could generate templates and be deduplicated in an August LinkedIn post.

The research was conducted with Infant.ID’s scanner, and Malik notes that it uses “advanced imaging techniques to overcome limitations in capturing newborns’ fingerprints.” Product testing and certification is now underway at 13 hospitals, and Malik points out that ISO and IEC are working on defining best practices for processing children’s biometric data.

The company says that it has collected more than 6,000 images as part of a neonatal identification project in collaboration with the IITB and Pernambuco Health Department.

“Studies show that capturing reliable fingerprints from children under 6 months old is a challenge, but advancements are making it more feasible,” Malik wrote. “As children grow, their fingerprints evolve in size, presenting deduplication challenges, though the unique ridge patterns remain consistent. High-resolution imaging techniques, including optical coherence tomography, are being explored to capture more detailed fingerprints from infants.”

Infant.ID addressed this challenge with a combination of scanning technology that delivers 5,000 dpi resolution, along with a specialized AI algorithm.

Malik reviewed the research, and confirmed the details to Biometric Update.

The Infant.ID scanner works with middleware and an AFIS system, and Infant.ID has worked on an algorithm to handle the high-resolution images the scanner produces. The scanner can also convert the images to work with other biometric matching systems, however, increasing its practical applicability.

Planning is now underway to expand the testing to dozens of additional hospitals across Brazil.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  Brazil  |  fingerprint scanners  |  infant biometrics  |  Infant.ID  |  SDG 16.9  |  Tariq Malik