Samsung's ISOCELL Vision 931 sensor powers the face unlock system

Two months ago, Samsung unveiled two new ISOCELL sensors: the ISOCELL Vizion 63D and the ISOCELL Vizion 931. One of these sensors is now being used in the new and revolutionary 3D face unlock mechanism developed by Metalenz. This demonstrates the superiority of Samsung's new camera for 3D depth mapping.

Metalenz is an optics company spun out of Harvard Labs, and is backed by the likes of Intel and its SDK.

Metalenz's 3D facial biometrics system uses Samsung's ISOCELL Vizion 931 sensor

Metalenz, a company that designs and develops optical systems for consumer electronics, automotive and Internet of Things applications, announced the first full-system 3D facial biometric system called Polar ID. This system uses Samsung's ISOCELL Vizion 931 sensor as the light driver for its revolutionary polarization sorting imaging system. Metalenz manufactures imaging and sensing solutions, which are already used in many smartphones. Now, the company has created a complete 3D facial scanning, recognition and unlock system that can be used in various devices, including smartphones and tablets.

The optics company claims that Polar ID is “The world's only consumer-grade imaging system that can sense the full polarization state of light.This means it can work with a single photo, while other 3D face unlock systems need multiple photos to work. This new system makes the whole process faster and more accurate. The company claims that Polar ID is 50% more cost-effective and smaller than traditional face unlock solutions.

Metalenz said its partnership with Samsung on the ISOCELL Vizion 931 sensor and its mass production capacity allows for faster adoption of the Polar ID biometric system in smartphones. This system provides 3D face recognition and biometrics in the near-infrared spectrum with industry-leading quantum efficiency and world-class advanced shutter technology.

Several smartphone brands are testing the Polar ID system

The Polar ID system will be on display at MWC 2024 in Barcelona, ​​Spain. MWC visitors will be able to experience the compact footprint, security, speed and affordability of Polar ID on a smartphone reference design that uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. Apparently, several smartphone brands are evaluating Polar ID, and additional evaluation kits will be available in Q2 From this year. We can expect to see it used in smartphones in the second half of this year or next year.

This new system can be used in smartphones, AR/VR/MR devices, tablets, laptops, and more.

CY Lee, Vice President of Sensors Sales and Marketing Team at Samsung Electronics, said:Our collaboration with Metalenz is not just about combining technologies; It represents a pivotal advance in biometric imaging capabilities, making face unlock solutions with enhanced security and affordability available on a global scale. We are excited to collaborate with Metalenz, a company that shares our commitment to bringing wise solutions to the market.”