EyeLock has now developed iris recognition technology that can identify an individual from up to 60 cm away, and that works even if a user is wearing glasses or contact lenses.

In a statement announcing the development, EyeLock CEO Jim Demitrieus called it “a significant breakthrough in iris recognition”, adding that the technology “has now surpassed all other iris recognition solutions and solves the usability and security impediments that have long been an obstacle for mass-market adoption.” The company says its technology has applications in the automotive and healthcare sectors, but it is primarily being targeted at the mobile market, where iris recognition has already been making headway thanks to integrations from the likes of Nokia, Fujitsu, and Samsung.

Samsung has just launched its Galaxy Note7, one of the first mass-market smartphones to be aggressively promoted for its iris scanning capability. While it could help to popularize mobile iris scanning the way Apple’s iPhone has pioneered mobile fingerprint scanning, there are pre-launch reports suggesting that the Note7’s technology has some notable flaws, such as an inability to scan users with glasses.

EyeLock’s technology could therefore prove highly appealing to other OEMs as they seek to stay competitive with their own iris scanning features. In any case, the technology is arriving at a time when mobile iris scanning could be poised to really catch on in the mass market.

(Originally posted on FindBiometrics)