Hauppauge, N.Y. — Voxx Electronics rolled out the Myris iris-scanning identity-authentication device to retail last November, but it also wants to bring the technology to the automotive industry as an antitheft device.
The company joined with EyeLock, the technology’s developer, to incorporate the technology in a 2015 Jeep Wrangler as a proof of concept. They demonstrated the vehicle and technology during a recent CNBC interview. The technology was also integrated into a 3D-printed car developed by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the 2015 North America International Auto Show in late January.
Voxx, which supplies vehicle electronics to the aftermarket and to automakers, said the technology validates authorized drivers and authorizes vehicle starting to deliver “a significantly higher level of vehicle security than what is currently available today.”
The technology provides for up to five registered users per vehicle, and someone who stole a person’s car keys would not be able to start the car, the company explained.
The authentication process takes less than five seconds, and authorized drivers need only look into the car’s rearview mirror to scan their irises.
The EyeLock ID vehicle application could also automatically set seat and mirror positions, radio presets or any other customized features for a specific user.
The technology could also be used in conjunction with usage-based insurance applications and for fleets. Fleet managers, for example, would be able to ensure that only authorized drivers are behind the wheel, the company said.
The iris-scanning technology appeared late last year in the $279-suggested Myris, which is designed to prevent the theft of online users’ identities and make it more convenient to access password-protected sites.
The handheld device, retailing for a suggested $279, connects via USB to a PC and identifies an authorized user by their iris patterns. That makes it unnecessary for people to remember and enter different user names and passwords every time they log onto different online accounts, log onto a computer, or access protected files or programs. Because users no longer have to tap a keyboard to enter user names and passwords, Myris thwarts spy software that monitors keyboard clicks.
The Myris device scans both retinas through glasses and contact lenses. Up to five users can store encrypted user names and passwords on one Myris, and an administrator can view other users’ log-in history.
Click on the links below to view the full CNBC demonstrations with Anthony Antolino, Eyelock’s chief marketing and business development officer, and Tom Malone, Voxx Electronics president:
