Smart Eye and FPC unveil combined face-and-iris biometric authentication system

Smart Eye and Fingerprint Cards (FPC) have developed a new multimodal biometric authentication system that combines facial recognition with iris verification. The companies say this significantly boosts security while allowing users to authenticate without changing their behavior.

The companies announced the joint capability saying it builds on a partnership first revealed in January 2025, when Smart Eye licensed FPC’s iris recognition technology. Since then, the firms have integrated iris matching into Smart Eye’s existing camera‑based sensing platform, enabling both biometric checks to run simultaneously through a single camera.

According to the companies, using two independent biometric signals dramatically increases resistance to spoofing. Facial authentication alone typically reaches an accuracy of around 1 in 10,000, while iris recognition can reach 1 in 1,000,000. Combined, the false‑match rate drops to roughly one in one billion.

The system can perform iris authentication at distances of up to three meters, allowing users to be verified without pausing or interacting with a separate sensor. Running on Smart Eye’s dedicated hardware configuration, it also supports triangulation and continuous authentication, keeping verification active throughout an interaction rather than relying on a single login event.

Smart Eye and FPC say the technology is suited to a wide range of applications where seamless, high‑assurance identity checks are required. Potential uses include in‑vehicle access and personalization, smart home systems, media interaction, cybersecurity, and other access‑controlled environments. The companies also point to opportunities in high‑security sectors such as law enforcement, defense and critical infrastructure.

“This collaboration clearly demonstrates the strength and momentum of our partnership with Smart Eye,” says FPC CEO Adam Philpott. “By integrating our iris recognition technology with Smart Eye’s facial authentication, we can enable a multi‑modal approach that combines ease of use with a significantly higher level of security.”

Smart Eye founder and CEO Martin Krantz said the integration “opens up new opportunities” across automotive and other industries where secure identity verification is becoming increasingly important.

Smart Eye will demonstrate the combined system at Auto China 2026 in Beijing from 24 April to 3 May. FPC will showcase the technology at the RSA Conference in San Francisco from 23 to 26 March.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  Fingerprint Cards  |  iris recognition  |  multimodal biometrics  |  RSAC 2026  |  Smart Eye