Smart Eye, FPC, trinamiX biometrics enable new in-cabin applications for automakers

Outside of smartphones, biometrics have largely been deployed in public spaces such as airports, stadiums and retail stores. But their incursion into personal space is already in the driver’s seat. Automotive trends see biometrics playing an increasing role in the cars of the near future, as facial recognition, iris technology and advanced interfaces present new possibilities for security and passenger experience.

‘World-first’ in-car biometric system for face, iris modalities

Forvia and Smart Eye have partnered to offer secure biometric authentication in vehicles using iris scans and facial recognition technology. Claiming “world-first technology,” the biometric software taps into existing Driving Monitoring System (DMS) cameras to enable customer authentication and a range of in-car applications.

For instance, according to a release, “it is now possible seamlessly and in complete safety to secure payments without additional user input.”

The iris biometrics technology is supplied by Fingerprint Cards, under a $4.5 million licensing deal struck in January.

Detlef Wilke, vice president of innovation and strategic partnerships at Smart Eye, says that “together with Forvia, we’ve developed a way to perform secure biometric authentication using the same camera already in place for driver monitoring. By combining iris and facial recognition, we can support features like in-car payments and personalized access without adding complexity to the vehicle architecture.”

Both payments and personalization were noted as use cases for iris biometric authentication when the licensing agreement between Smart Eye and Fingerprint Cards was announced.

Forvia and Smart Eye’s collaboration dates to 2021. It evolved into a strategic partnership in 2023, and has resulted in secure in-car biometric authentication, as well as other features, such as “in-cabin applications of Emotion AI,” which “recommends in-car content based on passengers’ emotional states to ensure safety and personalization.”

Camera, laser nested behind OLED screen in trinamiX biometric system

The Invisible Biometric Sensing Display sounds like a carnival attraction or a niche Marvel superhero, but in fact it is a biometric monitoring and imaging system from trinamiX, which detects occupants and tracks their vital signs using a camera and a laser dot projector installed behind the dashboard display.

A release says the display technology works through an OLED screen, meaning it is “completely invisible to the naked eye.” Developed with Continental Automotive, the system helps monitor occupants’ vital signs such as their heart rate to detect stressful situations or an impending medical emergency, and performs 3D distance mapping of the driver and passengers to optimize airbag deployment. In a rather quaintly antiquated feature, it also uses material detection to make sure everyone is wearing a seatbelt.

For the biometric imaging system that underpins the health and safety features, trinamiX uses a 1.5 MP near-infrared camera and an eye-safe laser dot projector integrated behind an OLED screen, with proprietary trinamiX algorithms that analyze the reflections of light points emitted by the projector.

“Our biometric imaging technology is ideally suited for use in car interiors. The ability to monitor vital signs and other relevant passenger data without physical interaction and using just a single hardware module is a first on the market,” says Stefan Metz, head of trinamiX Asia.

Ford puts another patent on the automotive biometrics assembly line

The Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a biometric identification system that may be used in future Ford vehicles. A report from Ford Authority says the patent was filed on September 27, 2023, published on March 27, 2025, and assigned serial number 0104469.

The patent differs from previous Ford projects leveraging biometrics for keyless entry and user authentication, in that it aims to “detect security events based on biometric comparisons of people that are near or inside of the vehicle.”

“A sensor would gather biometric information about a vehicle’s occupant, then look to see if that person has a criminal record, for example, which could prove useful for police, specifically,” says the report.

In effect, then, a preemptive biometric scanner for police surveillance of drivers and passengers. Which, says Ford, it might not make anyway.

“Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property,” says a statement from the company. “The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans.”

Article Topics

automotive biometrics  |  biometrics  |  consumer electronics  |  facial recognition  |  Fingerprint Cards  |  Ford Motor Company  |  iris biometrics  |  Smart Eye  |  trinamiX