Systems integration firm Unisys announced today that it has designed a biometric badge for airport freight drivers. The badge was specified as part of the Airport Access Control Pilot Program' (AACP) Wireless Personal Identification Credential (WPIC).
An essential goal of the project has been to create a credential that could identify those drivers bringing freight to airport warehouses.
The integrator announced that it was working with Fidelica Microsystems and Abeo Corporation to create a biometric badge that communicated via RFID for the WPIC project. The technology approaches biometric card identification a bit differently than many other vendors. Part of Fidelica's ability has been that the company could place a fingerprint sensor into the badge itself, using a flexible sensor. Because the project has to address outside contractors who aren't full-time airport employees, there were issues of how to ensure the badge holder retained his or her privacy.
"Beyond its technical merits, our badge was selected for its unique ability to authenticate users while protecting their identity and privacy," explained Michael Borcherding, president of Abeo Corp.
The pilot project that Unisys is working on, which is working with United Airlines at Dulles International Airport, is designed to evaluate new technologies for security applications at airports. The project, which was directed by the TSA, not only tackles issues of biometrics and access control, but also reaches into surveillance.
The AACPP is expected to be completed and ready for technology demonstrations later this fall, after being in progress for two years.
