NEC's Bio-IDiom multimodal biometrics suite, which incorporates advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and also embraces low-cost, powerful, mobile technologies, recently drew the interest of South Africa's Minister of Home Affairs at ID4Africa.

NEC XON, NEC Africa's systems integrator throughout Africa, demonstrated several advanced biometrics solutions from the suite at ID4Africa and showcased the technology's field trials currently being undertaken in Kenya to advance vaccinations and mother-child healthcare provision.

"The pilot project in Kenya demonstrates the advanced state of development of this technology," says Carel Coetzee, CEO of NEC XON. "Immunising children and providing lifelong healthcare is just one application among many for biometrics during the fourth Industrial Revolution. It's a new era for biometrics solutions that help to overcome real-world socio-economic, sustainability, safety, and security challenges."

Multimodal biometrics include multiple source authentications, including face, iris, fingerprint, palm print, finger vein, voice, and ear acoustic information.

NEC has developed its capabilities since the 1970s so that it is now recognised as the world's most accurate face, fingerprint, and iris recognition platforms, according to the US National Institute of Standards and technology (NIST). Its platform is used in more than 700 systems, including for police, immigration control, national ID, and entertainment, in more than 70 countries.

The Bio-IDiom suite recently won the Good Design Best 100 award in Japan. Its advanced capabilities are among the many reasons for the award. For example, accurately recognising the fingerprints of children is especially difficult since their fingers are softer and that blurs the prints, a capability demonstrated by the Kenya pilot project. The capability could soon provide lifetime healthcare services that overcomes a number of service provision challenges.

"NEC has optimised the software based on real-world experience and advanced R&D capabilities in this field," says Coetzee. "The business also collaborates with a number of partners who play leading roles in this field, including the University of Nagasaki, global police agencies, and several other commercial operations, as well as the top security consultants from around the globe."