Mobile technologies arriving in vehicles seem to be becoming more and more fanfare among automotive players these days. From wireless chargers and infotainment UIs to biometric authentication systems—all these have drastically changed how we interact with cars and bikes.
These technologies provide added convenience and are easy to use for the most part, yet they offer the most cutting-edge security technologies. You have to admit they’re entertaining, too.
BMW Motorrad is one brand that has continued to pioneer in this space. It has just revealed the BMW iFace—the world’s first facial and iris recognition apparatus in a motorbike. Revealed earlier this month in Munich, Germany, it will soon be featured in BMW’s motorcycle lineup.
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How BMW iFace works
The iFace system works on a combination of 3D face scanning and infrared iris recognition, both working complimentary with the other to create a unique and detailed model of the driver’s face, eyes, and head. This personalized, ultra-detailed scan of the rider will then be used to authenticate the owner upon mounting their motorcycle. If you are familiar with the FaceID of your iPhone, or the iris scanners of Android, this will let you experience the best of both worlds—much more impressive for the car industry, from BMW no less.
In case someone attempts to drive off with your bike, the system will kick in to scan the attempting thief. Once the authentication fails, the system will send a scan of their face and iris and a precise location to authorities.
The innovative take on security seems to come as the next step in an industry-wide pursuit for simplification, first seen in the onset of the "Keyless Go" technology, the reveal of the whole screen Apple CarPlay, and as exemplified by BMW’s foray into digital technology being among the first companies to partner with Apple in digitizing the car key—as seen in the then-new 20215-series.
This new tech’s very nifty if you ask us—we believe this has massive potential in the Philippine setting, and perhaps even the broader automotive landscape. Who knows how well it can work with other existing technologies, right? But let’s leave that to the BMW engineers for now.
NOTE: We saw the date of the press release (April 1) and realized that the Germans do have a sense of humor.
