eTrue Partners With Bio4 to Combine Facial Biometrics With 2D Bar Codes for Secure Personal ID Cards.

Business/Technology Editors

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 2001

eTrue, a leading facial biometric company, has announced that its TrueFace 2D facial recognition technology will be integrated with Bio4's 3D facial recognition and 2D bar code system to deliver secure personal identity applications. The combined facial technologies provide the smallest code size and the most accurate facial biometrics available anywhere. Because of the small code size, the facial biometrics can be encoded onto personal ID cards using Symbol Technologies' 2D bar codes. Bio4 will use Symbol Technologies' PPT2740 pocket-sized computer for verification of the personal ID cards, running on Microsoft's Pocket PC platform. This hand-held, wireless technology allows the face recognition system to be completely mobile.

The TrueFace facial biometric features a 200-500 byte template code for compact mobile applications. The primary application for this small code size is personal ID cards with 2D bar codes printed on them that encode people's faces. These ID cards, using TrueFace and Bio4, are used to authenticate people for boarding verification in air travel, customs, time and attendance, national ID programs, government benefit programs and for gaining access through secure doors at banks, manufacturing plants and in government, military and law enforcement facilities.

To gain access, a person presents the card to a 2D bar code reader while a digital camera takes a picture of the person. The TrueFace and Bio4 software then match the code for the live face against the code on the card. If it is the right person, access is allowed. The small code size and accuracy of the combined technologies are what enable this process to be so fast and reliable. The facial biometric can be incorporated into identity cards or passports, along with additional information to verify the person, such as date of birth, address, National Insurance number.

"eTrue has the most accurate 2D facial biometric for the smallest code size. Their technology makes them the obvious choice to partner with Bio4's 3D facial biometric in providing a mobile platform for secure personal identity cards and documents," said Mark Yadegar, Bio4 CEO, "The combination of the eTrue and Bio4 technologies has made it possible to deliver the most reliable, quickest, and easiest-to-use secure ID."

David Teitelman, eTrue president and CEO, said, "We are pleased that Bio4 is partnering with eTrue in delivering the facial biometric solution for personal ID cards. By combining our TrueFace 2D facial biometric with the next generation 3D facial biometric, we are taking a giant leap forward in accuracy, speed and code size. This opens up the market for many new applications such as passenger verification at airport check-in desks and cutting down on benefit fraud, as well as a vast array of security and civil applications."

Mark Yadegar, CEO Bio4, commented, "We are very excited about the partnership and are working closely with eTrue as a result of their experience and reputation in 2D facial biometrics. The eTrue platform is a sound building block for a large number of our solutions and in conjunction with our own 3D technology our customers will receive flexible and robust facial biometric solutions. With facial biometrics templates now small enough to fit into printed bar codes, smart cards and other associated media, the deployment of such solutions will grow rapidly."

PDF417, the bar code symbology used in the Bio4 system, is the standard for two-dimensional `Portable Data File' applications. PDF417 was invented by Symbol Technologies in 1987 and placed in the public domain. A single PDF417 symbol can store over a kilobyte of machine-readable data in a space no larger than a standard bar code symbol. Unlike traditional one-dimensional bar codes, which depend on real-time links to a separate database, with PDF417, the symbol itself contains all necessary data.

ABOUT BIO4

Bio4 is a leading-edge UK biometric security company specializing in the provision of facial verification systems for both mobile and fixed applications. The company works with best-of-breed partners to ensure the delivery of high performance integrated systems. Bio4 has applied its technology to offer a range of solutions to address security issues that, until now, have been too expensive or too difficult to implement. For more information, visit www.bio4.co.uk

ABOUT ETRUE

Headquartered in Southborough, MA, eTrue is the first managed service provider of biometric authentication using multiple biometrics. eTrue combines the advantages of the Web and biometrics to offer customers the most reliable way to verify user IDs with the least amount of capital outlay, integration effort, administration, maintenance and risk. eTrue recently received the Frost & Sullivan 2000 Market Engineering Award, which recognizes innovation in US business offerings. eTrue's separate product division, TrueFace, provides the most accurate face recognition software solution for physical access control and automated surveillance. TrueFace solutions are provided either as "turn-key" or customized solutions. For more information, visit www.etrue.com.

eTrue and TrueFace are trademarks of eTrue, Inc. All other brands and products referenced herein are acknowledged to be trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective holders.