Synaptics’ new line of Selene fingerprint sensors will be featured in Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 notebook. The ultra-thin Selene sensors boast a unique oval shape and will be built into the ThinkPad’s power button to authenticate users when they turn on their computer.
The Selene module is a complete hardware and software solution that can perform all of the functions associated with biometric authentication. That covers everything from image capture all the way through to matching. The fully encapsulated Match-in-Sensor solution has its own microprocessor and firmware, and is isolated from the rest of the rest of the PC. As a result, the user’s biometric data remains safe even if the rest of the device gets compromised.
Lenovo’s Power-on Touch Fingerprint Reader will allow users to turn on the computer and log in with a single press of the power button. Synaptics’ Selene module is FIDO certified, and is compatible with the Microsoft Secure Bio standard. It can also be placed on the outer edge of a notebook if manufacturers are looking for a different form factor.
Connections have never been more important to people and businesses — COVID-19 made that abundantly clear. While we have spent a good part of the last year being separated from friends, colleagues and loved ones, it has only made the value of collaboration and connection more evident.
Consumer electronics are expected to play a significant role in driving the global market for biometric fingerprint sensors from $2.93 billion in 2019 to $9.41 billion by 2027, a CAGR of 14.5 percent, according to Allied Market Research.
Synaptics Incorporated has announced Lenovo has chosen its new Selene family of ultra-slim oval fingerprint sensors for the upcoming ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 notebook. Selene enables Lenovo’s new Power-on Touch Fingerprint Reader button that swiftly protects the device and turns it on with a simple touch.
“ThinkPad users expect effortless security in their notebook experience and the Synaptics Selene solution enables convenient biometric authentication and wake-up with one touch of a finger. From an industrial design standpoint, the small form-factor provides us with the flexibility to further reduce the profile of our devices and make more efficient use of the real estate on the body of the notebook,” said Yasumichi Tsukamoto (“Moto”), Distinguished Engineer & Executive Director, System Innovation, Commercial Product Solutions Development, Lenovo.
“Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon is considered to be among the most secure notebooks in the industry, so it speaks volumes that Synaptics is the provider of this critical security feature. Our goal with our biometrics solutions is to make it effortless and streamline industrial designs. This is an especially important requirement for OEMs as they look to create more appealing designs but also address security issues brought on by work-from-home and the workplace evolution,” said Saleel Awsare, SVP & GM, PC & Peripherals Division at Synaptics.
Synaptics’ new line of Selene fingerprint sensors will be featured in Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 notebook. The ultra-thin Selene sensors boast a unique oval shape and will be built into the ThinkPad’s power button to authenticate users when they turn on their computer.
The Selene module is a complete hardware and software solution that can perform all of the functions associated with biometric authentication. That covers everything from image capture all the way through to matching. The fully encapsulated Match-in-Sensor solution has its own microprocessor and firmware, and is isolated from the rest of the rest of the PC. As a result, the user’s biometric data remains safe even if the rest of the device gets compromised.
Lenovo’s Power-on Touch Fingerprint Reader will allow users to turn on the computer and log in with a single press of the power button. Synaptics’ Selene module is FIDO certified, and is compatible with the Microsoft Secure Bio standard. It can also be placed on the outer edge of a notebook if manufacturers are looking for a different form factor.
My distinguished guest in this week’s Fish Fry podcast is Intrinsic-ID CEO Pim Tulys. Pim and I discuss the role of hardware-based security in today’s EE ecosystem, where physical unclonable functions are headed in the future, and what Intrinsic ID’s PUF Cafe is all about. Also this week, we take a closer look at the details of a new experiment that might finally bridge the gap between robotics and quantum mechanics. (Spoiler Alert: robots can learn faster with the help of quantum mechanics!)
Image sensors cover an expanded field of applications, ranging from smartphones to machine vision and automotive. Soon the day will come when artificial intelligence (AI) — both AI sensing and AI processing — takes place very close to the source of sensor data, if not directly at the sensor level.
The CMOS imaging sensor (CIS) market follows a continuous growth trend. According to market research firm Yole Développement, the CIS market revenue reached $19.3 billion in 2019, neared $21 billion in 2020 and is expected to get to $27 billion in 2025. It will also represent 5.1% of the global semiconductor sales in 2021, “becoming a very significant sub-segment,” said Pierre Cambou, principal analyst at Yole Développement, in a session at SEMI’s recent MEMS & Imaging Sensors Forum, as part of the Technology Unites Global Summit.
Looking at the different applications, CMOS image sensors started as webcams and mobile phones with the low-end, high-volume markets. They have gradually reached other segments such as automotive, broadcast, medical, and industrial segments. In 2019, for reference, the mobile segment represented almost 70% of the CIS revenue, while consumer photography accounted for about 5%, computing (i.e., PC and Tablets) for almost 8%, automotive for 7%, and industry around 3%. Last year, Cambou indicated, all these segments had a 25% growth, except for consumer photography.
Data protection is on everyone’s mind these days. The news cycle seems to contain a story about hacking, intrusion or cyber-terrorism on a regular basis. The cloud, our hyperconnected devices and the growing reliance on AI-assisted hardware to manage more and more mission critical functions all around us make data protection a front-of-mind item for many. There are many approaches to address data security, some hardware-based and some software-based with many approaches blending both. All of them have a common liability – the cryptographic key that unlocks data access. Just like an impenetrable vault, having the key to that vault neutralizes its protection. An upcoming webinar outlines a way to implement this all-important key in a unique way, one that doesn’t require storing the key at all. Let’s explore how to protect sensitive data with silicon fingerprints.
First, a bit about the company holding the webinar. Intrinsic ID is a unique company that focuses on security IP. Their stated mission is to make it easy to secure any smart device and make the connected world safer. It’s hard to argue with that. At the core of their strategy is something called a physical unclonable function, or PUF technology. This is where the silicon fingerprint comes in. I’ll get back to that in a moment. If you want more background on the company you can see my recent interview with their CEO, Pim Tuyls.
Advances in artificial intelligence now enable sufficient accuracy in voice biometrics that it can be used for not just identification and personalization, but for applications such as payment authentication. A new solution from Synaptics and ID R&D offers AI-powered voice biometrics and anti-spoofing algorithms that can run on a Synaptics SoC in the edge device. Specifically, the software has been optimized for the neural processing unit (NPU) in Synaptics’ VS600 series for smart home devices such as set-top boxes (STBs), smart speakers and security systems.
Synaptics sells its AI-capable SoCs into smart home products which need to process video streaming, audio streaming and imaging. A typical use case might be a STB incorporating cameras for video conferencing, for example.
Voice biometrics is now accurate enough to enable payment authentication in smart home devices
“What’s common across the set top box application and becoming more common as time goes on is the ability to use voice as an interface,” Vineet Ganju, vice president of marketing at Synaptics told EE Times. “Remote controls can be voice enabled so you can talk into it to navigate your Netflix account and search for movies… voice as an interface is almost becoming standard in these applications.”
Scottish technology provider Ceres Holographics announces a strategic partnership with Covestro to commercialize Bayfol® HX photopolymer films for transparent automotive display applications. Ceres Holographics uses them to create specialty solutions with customized holographic optical elements (HOEs) designed to enable a new generation of transparent display applications for automobiles and commercial vehicles.
The new partnership represents the next stage in what has already been a long-standing cooperation between the two companies.
Bayfol® HX film from Covestro is a transparent and thin film featuring a light-sensitive, self-developing photopolymer. It is ideal for the reproducible production of highly efficient volume holograms. Throughout their collaboration to date, the two partners have customized the film to meet the specific requirements of this application.
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