Unity Biometric Capture TabletPC

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Unity combines multiple biometric sensors & a 64bit PC in a rugged design. It captures dual irises, faces, & fingerprints from surfaces or by scanner. They can be matched against millions of profiles stored on the device instantly. It’s optimized for size, packing more power & sensors in the smallest package available. Users include customs, border, military, emergency, & ID programs. It’s perfect for identifying people in remote, disconnected locations, such as medical treatment in rural India.

Dimensions & Packaging

Unity combines a PC, storage, antenna, battery, & interface w/ biometric sensors, lens, & illuminators in a small rugged package. It has a dual 1.8 Ghz 64 bit chip, 256 gb ssd, 4 gb ram, GPS, wifi, & 4G. There are hot swap & standby batteries, 5” multi-touch daylight screen, & an ip54 sealed case. An accessory sunshade, passport reader, & fingerprint stand can be attached. Fingerprint sensor, Iris & Face Camera, distance sensor, & multispectral LED are used for capture. It uses windows 10 & Raven DB software. It is TPE rubber, PC-ABS plastic, metal, and glass filters. 18.3 x 10.7 x 7.4 cm, 1.13 Kg.

Tags

Biometric, Camera, Iris, Face, Recognition, Rugged, TabletPC, Fingerprint, Multi-Modal

Production Technology

Unity was a ‘clean-sheet’ design creating a new product from a loose brief. We started with an electronic spec, capture needs, general markets, & size. Unity was planned, parts were used for layout concepts, then reviewed for user & design benefits. Foam models allowed ergonomics refinement. For thermal issues, FEA modeling was done. Exterior design built upon layout favorites, exterior form was sketched, then detailed into robust parts. Ideas evolved & features were added, improving function & ease of use Hardware was verified in working prototypes. Accessories were later designed.

Design Challenge

The main challenge was packing so much in the small product enclosure w/out sacrificing quality, performance, or aesthetics. We had to fit the device in a fixed size envelope, with ip54 sealing & effective cooling. We started conceptualizing different layouts, evaluating often against the brief. Best designs fit both usage & design goals. Engineering details such as structure, doors, material layers, cooling, sealing, etc. were added, filling the internal space. The basic form is literally packed with electronics, sensors, lenses, batteries, air passages, & internal structure.

Project Duration

The project started in December 2013, in San Carlos California (USA), Washington D.C. (USA), and Bristol, UK. The project was first produced in September 2014 and further design revisions were carried out until July 2015.

Operation Flow

Unity is a stand-alone, biometric capture pc to register & identify people off the network. It is for: registering people, recognizing people, & evidence capture at crime scenes. In registration/ID, the user would bring the camera to the subject’s face level, capture face & iris images, then position fingers to scan prints. Profiles are logged or matched against saved profiles. Alarms trigger for wanted people. For police, Unity records biometrics, body art, crime scene, & fingerprints from surfaces. It is also a normal PC for email, video chat, navigation, and programs.

Research

Research was done for many areas of Unity. For user ergonomics, concept models were evaluated for comfort near sensor locations & component ‘lumps’. Layouts optimized grip, sensor exposure, & usage. Accessories would attach to Unity but had to fold flat, requiring material research for folding shapes. To cool the processor, workshops explored aesthetics & functionality concepts, then were evaluated in FEA models. Ultimately, physical cooling parts were made & tested. Sealing research studied existing products, evaluated techniques, and applied the learning to Unity.

Inspiration

Unity was inspired by needs for a mobile, off the grid, identity device capturing multiple biometric signatures & processing within the same product. It’s the next step in multimodal biometrics as a high quality, economical, & integrated solution. Aesthetics build upon our established design language, combining rubber grips and hard plastic coversets. Exterior design simplifies the dozen complex sensors into simple shapes like cylinders and blocks. Design cues strive for ‘serious’ ‘rugged’ look.

Image Credits

Photographer Travis Baldwin, Unity Photos, 2015.
Illustrator Travis Baldwin, Unity Renderings, 2015-2016.

Colors of Unity Biometric Capture TabletPC