American Reliance, Inc. (AMREL), the first company to introduce notebook computers in the U.S. market in the early 1990s, has been developing a rugged handheld biometric collection device that it plans to submit for an upcoming evaluation by Army testers as part of a potential competition for the next-generation of handheld biometric units used by the U.S. military.
The Handheld Biometric Solution (HBS-2) weighs just two pounds, captures fingerprints, iris and facial images as well as voice, contains an onboard database of over 100,000 biometric files, has wireless connectivity and connects to Army tactical radios. The device is also small enough to fit easily into the cargo pants pocket on a soldier’s Battle Dress Uniform, Richard Lane, vice president of AMREL, tells TR2.
AMREL introduced earlier prototypes of the HBS device at the Biometrics Consortium Conference last fall and this week is demonstrating it at the Biometrics and Forensics Summit. Next week the company will deliver it to the Biometrics Task Force, which will be doing laboratory evaluations in June and field evaluations in August and September under an existing Request for Information for next-generation handheld devices. Test assessments are due to the Army in early October.
The evaluations are expected to help the Army determine the exact capabilities it wants from the new devices prior to release of a Request for Proposal. Other companies expected to enter the forthcoming competition include Cogent Systems [COGT], Cross Match Technologies and L-1 Identity Solutions [ID]. L-1 has been supplying its handheld HIIED biometric devices to the Army for two years and last year Cogent began supplying its new Fusion device to Special Operations Forces. Early this year Cross Match introduced its SEEK handheld device (TR2, Feb. 4).
Lane says the HBS-2 has also been getting a lot of interest from Special Forces.
AMREL has been developing the HBS-2 based on feedback from war fighters. The company has participated in the Biometric Fusion Center’s quarterly Tactical Network Topology events that bring together war fighters, program managers and vendors to discuss requirements and conduct product and system demonstrations, Lane says.
Some of the other features of the HBS-2 include compatibility with EFT and EBT files, an optical fingerprint sensor, automatic iris capture, and a 32 gigabyte hard drive. The system also can be used for sensitive site exploitation, with the 1000 dpi camera capable of recording latent fingerprint and forensic debris.
Cogent also says its handheld multi-modal biometric device, which is called Fusion, has latent fingerprint capture capability. Fusion can also do latent fingerprint matching as well, Cogent says.
AMREL’s goal is to have the HBS-2 in full production by the end of the third quarter this year, Lane says.
AMREL says its device also meets Navy and Coast Guard requirements for vessel boardings as part of maritime and migrant interdiction operations.