USA Aims to Develop Fast Multiple-Biometric System for Borders & Airports
Biometrics (identification via unique body elements like fingerprints, retina profiles, etc.) is a hot field, but good security always depends on overlapping modes. The 9/11 attacks highlighted the need to improve accurate personal identification in large scale, high volume environments, and so the US government initiated a number of related research activities. Multimodal biometric-based recognition emerged as one of the most promising technologies.
In an effort to develop an advanced multimodal biometric recognition system that will improve positive identification while reducing misidentification and avoiding processing delays, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory has awarded Ultra-Scan Corporation a Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase II contract aimed at creating an Automatic Multimodal Biometric Identification System suitable for large-scale, high-traffic identification points, such as airports and border crossings.
The goal of the STTR Phase II contract is to design effective data fusion techniques and develop a prototype system. DID has covered the SBIR/STTR process before, and Phase II SBIR/STTR contracts range from $500,000-750,000. Ultra-Scan will partner with industry leaders Viisage, Panasonic and the University at Buffalo’s Center for Unified Biometrics and Sensors (CUBS).
The partnership will work to blend the biometric technology of Viisage’s FaceTOOLS(R) Software Development Kit (SDK), Panasonic and University of Buffalo’s expertise, and Ultra-Scan’s patented Livescan Ultrasonic Identification System technology – aka. LUIS(R) – to create an Automatic Multimodal Biometric Identification System, or AMBIS. LUIS is widely recognized as the most accurate method for personal fingerprint identification and identity management services. The technology uses high frequency sound waves to “see through” dirt, newsprint, hand lotions and other common finger contaminants.
For the $70,000-100,000 Phase I stage, Ultra-Scan delivered technology that combined fingerprints, face recognition, iris recognition, and signature analysis to create a more accurate solution than any individual option. Ultra-Scan claims that this possibility had been guessed at beforehand, but not yet validated scientifically. As a result of that success, Ultra-Scan was the only company awarded the Phase II contract. See this TMCnet article for more information.
