In 1997, Christer Fåhraeus explored the idea of using advanced image processing for automated fingerprint recognition. Together with Mårten Öbrink (recruited from Ericsson Mobile Phones) and Nils Bernhard (investor and board member) he founded Precise Biometrics the same year.
Precise Biometrics has 69 approved patents, 14 of which are approved in Sweden. In addition to the approved patents, there are 42 applications pending. Approved patents and patent applications are based on a total of 22 patent families. A patent family comprises an original patent for the given country, which is sought, granted and registered in other countries. In relation to Match-on-Card technology alone, Precise Biometrics has 13 different patent families.
Precise Match-on-Card™ is the best fingerprint recognition technology used with smart cards on the market today, in terms of usage, performance and compliancy with leading smart card products.
Our technology is available on the market - licensed to 80 million card holders and deployed to more than 10 million users - and the products have strong references, are well proven, easy to use and reliable.
The majority of all smart card manufacturers have products that integrate the Precise Match-on-Card™ technology.
It depends on which system is used, but with Precise Biometrics’ technology databases need not be established. Biometrics can be used for two different purposes, verification or identification.
Identification means that the biometric image is compared with all the stored reference images, for example all the other stored fingerprints of individuals, to determine the identity of the individual. The biometric system then tries to find an identity in a database. The police are working with this type of system (such as AFIS), for example.
With verification the objective is to examine and confirm that the individual is the person he or she claims to be. Verification means that the incoming biometric image is compared with the individual’s stored reference information (template), to verify the identity of the individual.
We primarily deliver licenses of our Precise Match-on-Card™ technology for national ID cards. The procurements and negotiations that Precise Biometrics get involved in are typically carried out together with different partners and system integrators. So far, we have 80 million licenses contracted and more than 12 million cardholders enrolled.
We also deliver Precise BioMatch™ Embedded licenses for third party fingerprint readers to make use of our technology, as well as consulting services and our own fingerprint readers, such as the Precise 250 MC.
During procurement, Precise Match-on-Card™ was compared with all the competing Match-on-Card solutions during an evaluation phase. Comparisons were also made with other biometric alternatives, where matching took place in a server or a PC. It was demonstrated that from the perspectives of personal privacy, security, scalability, reliability and costs, Match-on-Card is by far the most superior technology for large-scale ID card projects.
We see many countries as potential customers, as practically all countries considering a smart national ID card specifies Match-on-Card as a requirement. However, since national ID card programs are subject to political decisions, processes and budgets; one has to be aware that the projects typically involve some level of uncertainty concerning timing, decisions and roll out plans.
When acquiring Loqware Sweden AB in the summer of 2005, the gateway created to China was one of the strongest arguments for the investment.
The Smart Unicorn Group is an ideal partner by virtue of the investments the group is making for solutions in mobile telecom, mobile terminals, and computers. There is a very rapidly expanding need to be able to offer security solutions that guarantee both communication and payments in an increasingly mobile society in China.
Smart Unicorn Group is an international investment and holding company with its headquarters in Shanghai, China. The company has corporate interests throughout Asia in IT and telecommunication, the real estate sector, and the food industry.
The the solutions it develops mainly focus on two areas:
1. Personal Information Management (PIM)
2. Mobile Device Management (MDM)
The developed solutions are marketed to mobile operators and manufacturers of mobile telephones, and also directly to end users/companies.
Example of telecom and mobile operator customers include China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, China Netcom, China Railcom, AT&T Wireless, BellSouth, and Sunday.
The solutions developed by Smart Unicorn Solutions enable mobile operators to offer their customers new mobile services. Mobile phones are given expanded functionality with greater opportunities to send e-mails, store information and address books, and to use Internet and download software. Solutions that make it easier to synchronize and transfer information between mobile phones; mobile terminals and PCs have also been developed.
Smart Unicorn Solutions has close cooperation with a large number of strategic partners such as system integrators and suppliers of solutions, software companies and technology companies. Examples of strategic partners include: Sun, IBM, Oracle, HP, Microsoft, and Motorola.
When the Chinese authorities responsible for mobile communications implemented an evaluation in 2004 of supplier solutions for mobile communication, Smart Unicorn Solutions was ranked among the eight leading suppliers.
The establishment highlights Precise Biometrics’ proactive performance on the important and large Chinese market. The development of mobile services in combination with biometry and encryption technology from Precise Biometrics has extensive future potential, but returns must be seen in a somewhat longer perspective. |
