trinamiX GmbH

trinamiX GmbH, a leader in biometric and infrared sensing solutions, introduces the first near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy module for smartphone integration as well as an all-in-one, easy-to-integrate face authentication solution in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.. trinamiX Face Authentication is powered by Qualcomm® Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) and trinamiX’s unique algorithms to raise the protection of users’ personal data. In the future, trinamiX Consumer Spectroscopy could unlock novel health and fitness applications.

In the past few years, Qualcomm Technologies and trinamiX, a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF SE and member of the Qualcomm® Platform Solutions Ecosystem Program, have been joining forces to accelerate the development of trinamiX Face Authentication. Optimized for use on Snapdragon® mobile platforms, trinamiX got their next-generation solution off the ground and just recently had it certified in accordance with highest biometric security requirements. Qualcomm Technologies and the German sensing pioneer are now extending their ongoing collaboration with trinamiX’s introduction of a full hardware/software authentication solution as well as a reference design of an NIR spectroscopy solution for smartphones.

trinamiX Face Authentication combines regular 2D face detection and recognition with trinamiX’s unique liveness check based on skin detection. By running all software components in the Qualcomm TEE, trinamiX is further raising the protection of users’ personal data on devices powered by Snapdragon. As stated by Stefan Metz, Head of Smartphone Business Asia at trinamiX, the achievement is not only to make today’s authentication methods more secure but to also provide the convenience of a touchless solution. “During the development of our solution, we have seen and unveiled so many crucial security gaps in available biometric solutions,” he said. “Qualcomm Technologies has helped us pave the way for a face authentication solution that finally closes these gaps.”

The solution fulfills the highest biometric security requirements defined by the International Internet Finance Authentication Alliance (IIFAA), the FIDO Alliance and Android (Google). It has thus been approved for Android integration and for use in digital payment processes with particularly high security demands. Its potential is based on the underlying patent-protected algorithms that verify a person’s liveness by checking for human skin. Thanks to their new approach, trinamiX Face Authentication is the first solution to also pass these certifications while the hardware is invisibly mounted behind OLED. “Our focus is on the perfect combination of premium performance and affordability. The hardware comes with a small technical footprint and low requirements, which allow for an easy integration into new smartphone models,” Metz added. The full reference design will be available to manufacturers from November 2022.

In 2020, trinamiX already announced their vision to also integrate spectroscopy into consumer electronics. “Just like people are used to taking photos with the integrated camera anywhere they go today, it will become natural to scan their skin and to instantly learn about, for example, their physical condition,” said Wilfried Hermes, Director Spectroscopy Smartphone Business at trinamiX. According to Hermes, future smartphones will be equipped with a full-performance NIR module, which allows for real-time insights on a molecular level – just by pointing the device to a given object. Among these use cases are non-invasive measurements on skin, which provide users with tailored, real-time advice on how to keep and improve their health and fitness. After sharing a first preview of their reference design for smartphone integration, trinamiX is now accelerating the market introduction of their innovation. Further reading

STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, and trinamiX, a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF SE and pioneer of new biometric technologies, today announced their collaboration on a reference design for face authentication. The solution performs behind an OLED screen and on the security level required for mobile payments. A demonstration of this system will be first presented live at IFA 2022 in Berlin on September 2-6.

The joint development and reference design for smartphone OEMs is a full system implementation that integrates illumination, a camera module that combines ST’s global-shutter image sensor with enhanced near-infrared (NIR) sensitivity (VD56G3), and trinamiX’s patent-protected algorithms running on the processor. The system offers a contactless, fast, and reliable authentication method for integration into smartphones and other products requiring user authentication. The solution’s strength lies in a unique technology, which uses skin detection to verify a user’s liveness. In addition to verifying the user’s identity, it effectively differentiates between skin and other materials, to recognize fake presentations like photos, hyper-realistic masks, and deepfakes.

“The collaboration with ST provides us with very small, high-performance image sensors at a competitive price point. This is particularly important for our products in the consumer electronics sector,” said Stefan Metz, Head of Smartphone Business Asia at trinamiX. “Furthermore, trinamiX Face Authentication can fully operate behind OLED while maintaining the highest security levels. If required, the high NIR sensitivity of ST’s image sensors supports the easy integration of our solution behind display.” According to Metz, smartphone manufacturers are thus offered a powerful, attractive package: “During the development of our smartphone reference design, we focused on particularly compact hardware sizes without compromising the performance.”

“ST’s advanced image sensors use the company’s process technologies that enable class-leading pixel size while offering both high sensitivity and low crosstalk, delivering significant improvements in performance, size, and system integration. The collaboration with trinamiX provides ST with additional opportunities to extend our support to technologies, use cases, and ecosystems addressing the thriving under-display market in Personal Electronics and beyond,” said David Maucotel, Head of the PEIM (Personal Electronics, Industrial and Mass Market) Product Business Line of Imaging Division, ST.

In 2021, trinamiX Face Authentication was approved for Android integration and certified according to the high biometric security requirements of Android Biometric Class 3, IIFAA Biometric Face Security Test Requirement, and FIDO Level C – the FIDO alliance’s soon-to-be top standard. Further reading

trinamiX, a leading provider of mobile spectroscopy and a wholly-owned subsidiary of BASF, now supports the flexible differentiation between PET-A and PET-G with its Mobile NIR Spectroscopy Solution. As such, the handheld solution for on-the-spot identification of more than 30 different plastics is supplemented by a new application, which provides information about the type of a PET sample.

Amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (PET-A for short) is one of the most important thermoplastics. PET-A is a popular material for recyclable packaging of food, cosmetics, or hygiene products. PET-G is modified PET that has been combined with glycol. As a result, PET-G features a higher transparency than PET-A, which remains stable even after heating. In addition, molten PET-G has a lower viscosity. These properties favor specific applications in the areas of packaging, 3D printing and visible parts, for example.

The clean separation of PET-G and PET-A is important for several reasons: First, only pure materials can be completely recycled. Due to different melting ranges, recycling a combination of PET-A and PET-G is difficult. In addition, mixtures have a negative effect on the desired properties, such as the temperature stability. Ultimately, there is also an economic component: Pure PET-G usually achieves higher prices on the market than PET-A.

"In view of the increasingly complex waste streams, recycling companies are facing major challenges when it comes to the homogeneous processing of materials in the plants. Therefore, we are working closely together with our customers and partners to continuously expand our offering," explains Adrian Vogel, Manager Sales and Business Development Spectroscopy Solutions at trinamiX. "We offer a solution that enables decentralized sorting and quality checks,delivering added value wherever industrial solutions are not viable." Further reading