Project description
Novel, safe replacement for cards, passwords and keys
With near field communication or Bluetooth low energy technologies spearheading the rush to digitalise everyday objects like keys, tickets, credit cards and more, new solutions for management and application of them are paramount. There currently exist a number of options for secure authentication, but often they are prone to losses or attacks. The EU-funded BiowatchID project aims to revolutionise the field by introducing a wearable smart band. This smart wristband is capable of holding data for anything, from ID cards to car keys and credit cards, all of this while also utilising an innovative form of biometric authentication: the wristband continuously monitors the wearer’s wrist vein.
Objective
Keys, credit cards & transport tickets are becoming fully digital—they are increasingly getting replaced by smartphone apps. This shift is fuelled by the ubiquity & convenience of smartphones as well as increasing support for short distance communication protocols (such as NFC or BLE) by different hardware. This increasing digitalization of everyday life requires secure authentication, which passwords, cards & keys frequently cannot meet as they are prone to losses & attacks. There is a market opportunity for a novel biometric solution that overcomes the deficiencies of the existing solutions and makes end-user transactions smooth & secure. While device OEMs like Apple or Samsung are using fingerprints & face recognition as core biometrics, we have designed a completely novel approach to ultra-secure biometrics authentication and built a device around it.
BiowatchID is a smart band worn on the wrist, which is a secure vault that only the owner can use due to continuous biometric authentication. BiowatchID uses a secure patented wrist vein identification technology with demonstrated 99,999% reliability. It is a tamper-proof, military grade security device which supports multiple protocols & communication channels.
Once BiowatchID is closed on the wrist, it scans & recognizes the unique vein pattern, and then continuously monitors the presence of the wrist.
BiowatchID is designed to replace ID cards & passports; credit cards, loyalty cards, mobility cards; car keys, passwords, access badges; (and in the long term) Touch ID, Face ID & other similar biometric authentication solutions. Most importantly, BiowatchID can combine all of the above in a single wearable
Our research shows that there will be at least 160m wearable devices with seamless biometric authentication solutions by 2020. Our commercial target is to sell 500,000 by 2023, reaching €100m+ in revenues.
Fields of science
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesinternetinternet of things
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputer securityaccess control
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensorsoptical sensors
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringinformation engineeringtelecommunicationsmobile phones
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencepattern recognition
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
1005 LAUSANNE
Switzerland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.