MINNETONKA, Minn.-- Identix Incorporated announced that it was awarded a contract from the Office of Navel Research (ONR), a Department of Defense agency, to develop applications integrating and capitalizing on recent advances in facial recognition and associated technologies. ONR promotes the science and technology programs of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and provides technical advice to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretary of the Navy and works with industry to improve technology manufacturing processes. The contract, which is valued at approximately $1.6 million over a one year period, involves a two prong research effort by Identix: long term facial recognition research and a development effort to provide solutions to near-term real world problems.
Identix will pursue a number of research areas under this contract, including: fusion of facial and skin recognition algorithms for heightened accuracy and speed for identification applications; integration of surface technology analysis (skin biometrics) into facial recognition applications; evaluating the state-of-the-art advances in digital camera imaging technology and its impact on facial recognition performance; and analysis of facial recognition performance in outdoor (sunlight) scenarios.
Among the specific objectives of this contract are:
-- To further the state of the art in facial and image recognition technologies for the purposes of human identification.
-- To develop a clear value proposition for a new applications to be deployed to fight the war on terror.
-- To develop a cost effective human identity solution for the US military for land and/or sea use.
Identix President & CEO Dr. Joseph J. Atick commented, "Improving our core technologies through a focus on the value of biometric applications is the hallmark of our research program, and we welcome the opportunity to work with ONR on real world problems of significant benefit to the war on terror.
"Our work on facial recognition technology applications for some of our Government's leading agencies is rapidly expanding in both the scope of the applications and the breadth of agencies looking to incorporate facial recognition solutions to solve real world issues," Atick continued. "Identix' numerous wins in some of the highest profile awards to the biometric industry from agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and the Department of Defense are a strong affirmation of the real world benefits that are being achieved now through the integration of our biometric technologies. We believe our Government as well as governments and corporate enterprises throughout the world are firmly committed to taking meaningful steps towards adopting biometrics for a very large number of diverse programs and applications."
(c) 2005 Business Wire
