U.S DoD Awards Contract To Develop Military-Grade Smartphone To Scan, Record Facial Features

California-based AOptix has been awarded a $3 million research contract from the U.S Department of Defense to develop technology that could allow troops to use a smartphone to scan and record facial features and identity people from a distance, AOptix announced.

“The DOD saw an early version of the system and was impressed with its capabilities,” Chuck Yort, AOptix’s vice president for identity solutions, was quoted as saying. “The product will be modified to meet the DOD’s specific needs, but will provide iris, face, voice and fingerprint recognition all in a smartphone-based device”.

According to AOptix, the “Smart Mobile Identity” (SMI) devices will allow for biological identity verification in areas where it was previously thought to be impractical, cost prohibitive, or impossible.

The devices are part of a portable class of biometrics-based hardware and software products that allows built-in cameras on smartphones or tablets the ability to do facial recognition or with the help of additional sensors, provide fingerprint and iris recognition, the statement added.

SMI could also allow a border agent to quickly identify a person at a security checkpoint. In the event of a disaster, SMI could be used to help limit fraud by ensuring financial aid is disbursed to the people who are in critical need, the company said.

Users of these systems in-field will benefit from a more compact, lightweight, versatile and accurate identity verification device than has previously been available,” Dean Senner, chairman and chief executive of AOptix said in a statement.