San Antonio-based FaceKey has developed a new technology that uses biometrics to access vending machines (anybody remember SodaVision?), and it has filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to protect its designs.

The new patent application is titled “Biometric Access Control System for Vending Machines.” It covers a biometric-based mobile device that can provide controlled access to many different types of vending machines.

FaceKey President Yevgeny B. Levitov says the new patent application demonstrates the company’s commitment to broadening the company’s intellectual property portfolio beyond building access control or time and attendance products.

FaceKey manufactures and markets biometric technology products, devices that identify people by personal markers such as their face and fingerprints.

The company’s product line is designed to help prevent unauthorized access to facilities and computer network data, deter identity theft and reduce security costs for businesses and the government.

According to a recent survey from security company TSSI Systems, 76% of Brits are more interested in biometric technology compared to a year ago.  The change was ultimately down to increased personal safety.

58% of respondents had no clue as to whether they had been subject to biometric checks at airports.

Three-quarters of those questioned believe that biometrics are important in combating the threat of global terrorism - only 17% believed that intelligence information would play a bigger role than biometrics.

Only 9% of respondents were actively against the implimentation of biometrics in the rail network, tubes, shops and airports.

TSSI surveyed 1000 people between the ages of 18 and 60 at mainland stations in the UK in September and October 2006.

And, it supports Mac.  Neurotechnologija, a provider of high-precision biometric identification technologies, today announced the availability of VeriLook 3.0 Software Development Kit (SDK) for the development of fast, reliable and cost-effective biometric facial recognition systems on Microsoft Windows, Linux and now the Mac OSX platform. Using a standard Webcam or security camera, the VeriLook 3.0 algorithm can match 100,000 faces per second with high reliability and can detect multiple faces in a single frame and process all of them simultaneously. VeriLook 3.0 works with any database and any user interface, providing hardware manufacturers, biometric systems developers and security system integrators with powerful facial recognition technology that can be used in a wide array of security systems.

“A major portion of our development efforts for VeriLook 3.0 focused on further enhancing the speed and reliability of the facial recognition algorithm,” said Algimantas Malickas, CEO of Neurotechnologija. “On the heels of our announcement last month of VeriFinger 5.0 for biometric fingerprint identification, we are pleased to offer another multi-platform SDK for the development of high-precision biometric applications that can be used with a variety of hardware and systems.”

Earlier this year Lenovo, a global leader in the personal computer industry, announced their choice of the VeriLook facial recognition engine for integration into select models of their Webcam-equipped notebook computers.

“At Lenovo, we focus on providing innovation and value for our customers, said Ming Zhiming, project manager for Lenovo R&D. “We chose Neurotechnologija’s VeriLook algorithm because it could be easily integrated into our notebook PCs and provide powerful facial recognition technology.”

UPEK, Inc., the world’s leading brand of fingerprint authentication security solutions, today announced that its TouchChip TCS1 Fingerprint Sensor has become the first and only silicon fingerprint sensor certified by and listed on the General Services Administration (GSA) Approved Products List (APL) for use in the Federal Information Processing Standard 201 (FIPS 201) and Personal Identity Verification (PIV) programs. The TouchChip TCS1 is also the first silicon fingerprint sensor certified by the FBI to meet their demanding Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (IAFIS) image quality specifications for Single Fingerprint Capture Devices.

Obtaining these certifications was driven by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which mandates that fingerprint biometric ID credentials be issued to approximately 10 million U.S. federal employees and contractors, starting October 27, 2006. FIPS 201 certified products are also likely to be deployed across other large scale US and international biometric ID credentialing programs such as First Responders, Transportation Workers, Biometric e-passports and other global initiatives over the next several years.

Delivering this next-generation of certified silicon fingerprint imaging technology represents a major advancement compared to older technology employed in today’s larger and more expensive optical devices. Solutions based on UPEK’s silicon technology enable cost reductions of 50% or more, device size reductions of up to 100x, and power efficiency improvements of 10x or more when compared to existing optical sensors.

Government customers, system integrators, and biometric equipment manufacturers looking to deploy, implement and build certified, cost-effective and compact fingerprint authentication devices can now do so with UPEK’s silicon fingerprint sensor technology. The TouchChip TCS1 fingerprint sensor is already in use across a broad range of physical access control devices to ensure only authorized personnel are allowed access to restricted facilities. The TouchChip TCS1 fingerprint sensor can also be used in logical access control devices such as USB readers, biometric keyboards, and biometric smart card readers that are part of the identity management infrastructure of FIPS 201. Devices based on the TouchChip TCS1 fingerprint sensor are also well suited for portable devices, allowing power efficient mobile identity verification of PIV card holders at any time and at any location.

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