IRIS International Inc. says its Advanced Digital Imaging Research LLC subsidiary has been awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. government for the development of biometric "3D Face Recognition for Security Screening." The Advanced Technology Program grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology calls for the development and testing of an experimental automated personal identification system for airports, ports of entry, defense installations, laboratories, corporations and other sites where security requires screening of individuals.

The first stage of the project calls for the development and testing of a real-time, three-dimensional face recognition prototype for use at commercial security checkpoints where employee identity records already are on file. The first phase is scheduled to last one year.

The second phase will involve developing a broader system that could tap into law enforcement databases and be used for applications such as passenger check-in at airports.

ADIR's says its mission is to combine the advantages of 3D and 2D imaging for facial recognition. The challenges involve the selection and/or development of the system components and the integration of these elements with a graphical interface. The system must be able to achieve high accuracy in real time, and do so with low false alarm rates. The grant provides for a three-year study to be carried out with Dr. Ioannis Kakadiaris of the University of Houston.