NEC has developed a biometric authentication device that can recognize people even when they are wearing a face mask. The new device scans not only the faces of users, but also their irises for biometric information, which had been considered difficult to achieve. The rate of error is said to be less than one in 10 billion, and the scan only takes around two seconds.
NEC expects the need for biometric authentication, which can identify people at a high rate of accuracy without the need for a touch panel, to rise due to the coronavirus epidemic. Demand for the technology is expected to be especially strong for managing entry into office buildings, factories and hospitals.NEC biometric authentication device can also be installed on automated teller machines and payment systems at retailers. NEC aims to put the device on sale at full scale by fiscal 2021.
