AuthenTec announced that its TouchStone fingerprint sensor packaging technology will enable future generations of waterproof cell phones. This new waterproof packaging technology is AuthenTec’s newest fingerprint sensor packaging alternative for today’s cell phone manufacturers.

The leading cause of cell phone returns not covered under warranty is damage from exposure to excess moisture or immersion in water or other liquids, AuthenTec states. Driven by consumer demand for more rugged water-resistant designs, leading cellular handset manufacturers including Casio, Fujitsu, LG and Toshiba have introduced waterproof cell phones, many of which are capable of submersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. AuthenTec’s TouchStone package enables for integration into different waterproof industrial design configurations that provides the durability and water resistance required for this new class of handsets.  

Delta Airlines has partnered with registered traveler vendor Clear to offer expedited security lanes at New York’s JFK and LaGuardia airports, and Los Angeles International, starting this summer.

The partnership also includes new enrollment centers in select Delta Crown Room Clubs in Atlanta that provide a way for customers to join Clear’s Fast Pass program. The partnership also will include a presence for Clear in Delta’s terminals, online at delta.com and through a direct marketing campaign to its SkyMiles members. All Delta SkyMiles members will be offered bonus miles when they join Clear.

Clear members are pre-screened by the Transportation Security Administration and after application approval, which involves providing iris and fingerprint images, receive a card that enables access to Clear’s designated security lanes across the country. Clear lanes are operating in airports in Cincinnati, Denver, Indianapolis, Orlando, San Francisco, and Washington DC’s Reagan National and Dulles airports, among others. The annual fee is $100 plus a $28 TSA fee.  

New voice recognition software created by Siemens claims to be able to boost productivity within IT departments by automating certain help desk features. It is estimated that twenty percent of help desk calls are for lost or forgotten computer passwords, and fixing that problem can take roughly thirty minutes per request.

By storing employee voice data and characteristics, an automated answering service is able to match up the voice on the phone with one in its records, through what Siemens calls biometric speaker recognition, and give out a new password over the phone. This process takes about three minutes. Siemens IT Solutions department implemented this system in December 2007 and has reported that ninety percent of their employees have been very happy with the new procedure.  

Airport workers and air carrier employees require access to secure areas in sensitive airport locations. Currently there is no standard for a strong authentication credential to identify these workers as they move within and between airports. The Transportation Security Administration is investigating such a credential through its Aviation Credential Interoperability Solution (ACIS). Avisian Publishing’s Chris Corum and the TSA’s ACIS Program Manager Chris Runde provide insight into the potential biometric solution in this edition of the re:ID Podcast.

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A study from Report Buyer foresees a compound annual growth rate of 21.3% in the biometric market by 2012. Of the technologies currently available, fingerprint biometrics is expected to continue to hold the largest share of the biometric market with a growth from $1.3 billion in 2007 to $2.7 billion by 2012.

However, the largest growth in the market is expected to be facial recognition biometrics which is predicted to grow from $459 million in 2007 to $1.3 billion by 2012. The report also expects significant growth in all the emerging biometric technologies over the next four years as well.

Broken down by region, the report also credits Europe as currently being the area with the most growth recently, but expects growth elsewhere to be key over the next few years. With technology heavy countries like Japan and South Korea, as well as quickly developing countries like India and China, the report expects a growth to be driven from Asia.  

Researchers at the Vidya Vikas Institute of Engineering & Technology and the S J College of Engineering in India have claimed to develop gait biometrics, a modality that identifies individuals from their style of walking, according to VNUNet.com. By taking a series of side view shots of someone’s walk cycle in conjunction with their body size, they claim they can identify an individual from a distance.

This new method of biometrics has the ability to identify individuals from a distance, something researchers believe will give security personnel a better chance at preventing a potential threat.

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