SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE) — FotoNation Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tessera Technologies, Inc. (TSRA) and the leading provider of computational imaging solutions for smartphones and digital still cameras, today announced its acquisition of Smart Sensors Limited (“SSL”), an award winning developer of iris recognition biometric technology, a transaction that closed in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Over the past 10 years, Smart Sensors has developed tools for iris feature extraction, biometric key creation and fast-matching which operate on many product and processor platforms. The use of biometric authentication and identification systems is rapidly increasing, moving onto mobile computing, notebooks, PCs, tablets and other communications platforms. Iris authentication technology from SSL provides increased device security and eliminates the need for passwords. The technology also authenticates and verifies user presence for e-commerce, and provides secure access control to valuable assets such as physical locations and enterprise networks.
“The iris structure yields five times as many distinct, identifiable features compared to fingerprints,” said Petronel Bigioi, Senior Vice President of Engineering and General Manager, FotoNation. “Smart Sensors’ team of PhD engineers has been focused on developing and improving iris-based biometric systems for over a decade. Integrating their capabilities with FotoNation’s class-leading face detection, tracking and recognition capacities will enable our customers to deliver unique solutions tailored for mobile devices and other high volume products, with exciting opportunities in the growing field of biometric authentication and identification.”
“FotoNation’s complementary expertise and technology portfolio, along with its strong relationships in the smartphone and camera markets, will help us accelerate the adoption of SSL’s technology in high-volume applications,” added Martin George, General Manager of SSL.
About FotoNation
FotoNation is giving life to computational imaging by merging technology with emotion. With technology in more than 60 percent of global tier-1 smartphones, FotoNation develops technologies that serve the computational imaging space for handsets and cameras, as well as the automotive, surveillance, security, and augmented reality markets. We create, innovate and deliver the next generation of computational imaging algorithms. We engineer new ways to reach the highest possible performance while keeping system requirements to a minimum. We have a long history of innovating and advancing the state of the art in image processing. More than a decade ago, we were the first to integrate a computational imaging solution in an embedded mobile device. Today FotoNation is still the leader in computational photography and computer vision. Nearly two billion digital cameras and smart devices are powered by the imaging technologies designed by the sharp minds and passionate hearts of FotoNation engineers. For more information visit www.fotonation.com.
About Smart Sensors Ltd.
Founded in 2003 in Bath, England, United Kingdom, Smart Sensors Ltd offers software, know-how and licensing so integrators can deploy the precision, power and convenience of iris recognition biometrics in cost-effective solutions that authenticate each person’s unique ID. Our tools for iris feature extraction, biometric key creation and fast-matching operate on many product and processor platforms. Working with licensees, investors and selected technical and commercial partners, Smart Sensors has delivered iris biometric technology into products and systems sold internationally into applications as diverse as secure hands-free access control, military force protection, refugee management and automated border crossing.
About Tessera Technologies, Inc.
Tessera Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiaries generate revenue from licensing to manufacturers and other implementers that use the Company's technology in areas such as mobile computing and communications, memory and data storage, and 3-D Integrated Circuit technologies. For more information call 1.408.321.6000 or visit www.tessera.com.
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