The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is investing $1.23 billion and working with biometric technology companies to continue a research and development support program to develop an “intelligent office” solution for human interface security. The program’s goal is to integrate biometric technologies in order to identify office entrants; control access to various rooms within an office area; track activity and movement; and provide logon capabilities for networks and workstations.
Unisys Corp., an information technology services and solutions company, and its partners from the security industry will research enhancements to current face-recognition technology to improve identification of individuals from a database of two-dimensional photographs. The team will work on converting photographs into a three-dimensional model program with skin texture, expressions and aging. In addition, the group will automate movement to mimic that of human movement.
Successful enactment of this program will enable authorities to capitalize on the thousands of photographs already on file in order to assist with visa and passport applications, as well as access control. Also as part of its research, the team also will study emerging biometric solutions, such as three-dimensional face and ear recognition.
Partners include AcSys Biometrics of Toronto; research officials from Columbia University and the University of California at San Diego; and Identix of Minnetonka, Minn.
