A Taiwanese camera outfit is claiming a breakthrough in the development of the hardware necessary to support secure facial identification for Android devices.

New camera tech

LIPS is plugging their 3D depth-sensing cameras into Android devices and using it to securely trigger the unlocking of a phone. They’ve upped a video to YouTube that shows their working prototype in action.

In its current form, the solution requires an external mini camera to be plugged into an Android phone via micro-USB. 

The company is working to miniaturise and sell the tech to a major manufacturer for internal integration into phones.

Precedents and evolution

Phone unlock via Facial recognition garnered media attention in late 2017, when it was unveiled as a flagship feature of the iPhone X.

OnePlus attempted an early version of Face Unlock for Android in November, but it fell flat due to security concerns. Reliant on 2D imaging, it could be fooled by a photo. The same sort of thing was recently touted as part of an Android-powered iPhone X clone, the Oukitel U18.

The new product, called ‘LIPS true 3D sensing and facial recognition technology’,  looks to be a genuine progression. 

If any of the big phone makers buy the technology, they’ll give it a punchier name and could have it in handsets within 2018.

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