Tokyo, November 6, 2019 – NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) today announced that it has developed iris recognition technology capable of highly accurate identity verification of people as they walk past. This makes it possible to implement "walkthrough" ticket gates and security gates that can verify people's identities on the fly without them having to stand still.

Iris recognition is a technique that involves examining tiny patterns in the human iris, which are unique to each individual. In order to do this, it is first necessary to capture highly detailed iris images. Therefore, iris authentication typically requires that the user remains still at a prescribed location in front of a camera, which is then adjusted to the position of the user's eyes. This is a troublesome process, and there have been calls for a more convenient solution.

To address this need, NEC has developed technology that is capable of obtaining clear high-resolution iris images from people as they walk past. We have also accelerated the image processing performed on these images after they have been captured. As a result, we have made it possible to perform the entire identity verification process while the user is walking past.

NEC has already developed Bio-IDiom,^*1 a suite of six biometric authentication technologies: iris recognition, face recognition, fingerprint/palm recognition, finger vein recognition, voice recognition, and ear acoustic authentication. These have been incorporated into over 1,000 systems in about 70 countries and territories around the world. In particular, our iris recognition technology is used in applications such as immigration control and national ID services. In iris recognition accuracy evaluation tests^*2 performed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is a global authority in this field, our technology was found to achieve the best matching accuracy.

Now, by combining this iris recognition technology with our newly developed imaging technology, we have made it possible to perform walkthrough identity verification instead of requiring people to stand still.

In the future, we expect that this technology will be used in a wide range of fields, such as security authentication in airports and other large-scale facilities, and identity verification at ticket gates for trains and buses. We aim to have this technology in practical use by FY2021.

NEC's plans for the 3-year period ending in March 2021 are set forth in our Mid-term Management Plan 2020. This document describes two policies for business growth: NEC Safer Cities (supporting the creation of cities that embody the values of Safety, Security, Efficiency, and Equality), and NEC Value Chain Innovation (creating new value by sharing information and states of people, products, and processes across the entire value chain). Based on these policies, we aim to implement a rich society through the use of NEC's Bio-IDiom technology, including iris recognition.

Technical features

For more information:
Iris recognition technology that works even with walking subjects
https://www.nec.com/en/global/rd/technologies/201912/index.html

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About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. The NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.