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July 25,2019,Philippines—With the advent of Industry 4.0 or the digital era of automation, the global manufacturing industry continues to evolve and transform not only the landscape of manufacturing but also how the world works.

Considered as the key to the future, biometric identification is one of the latest global technology solutions that are growing to be of great importance and is expected to be heavily utilized by various industries including the telecommunications sector, industrial market, and, of course, the automotive market in the coming years. In fact, TechSci Research in their July 2019 report titled Global Automotive Biometric Identification Market By Technology, By Sensor Type, By Vehicle Type, By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2024 shares that the global automotive biometric identification market was valued at $138 million this year and is projected to reach $303 million by 2024, growing at a compound annual growth rate or CAGR of over 17%.

This certainly shows the size of the impact the biometrics technology will have on the automotive market. However, it begs the question: how exactly will it transform the market?

Biometric identification in other markets

The idea of identifying a person by evaluating their fingerprints or irises seemed nothing more than a science fiction concept. That is until the telecommunications sector, specifically the mobile phone market, started utilizing it, most particularly for fingerprint scanning to increase phone access convenience and security around the 2000s to 2010s. 

There were also a number of companies that have already invested in biometric technology to monitor the shift logs of their employees, as well as to tighten their security regarding the access of their confidential documents.

Biometric identification in the automotive market

The idea of incorporating biometrics technology into cars and other types of vehicles has been continuously gaining traction from experts and consumers, given the said technology’s use in other markets, 

With vehicle biometrics, a key will no longer be necessary to unlock, start, and drive a car. Instead, fingerprint scanners will replace the keyholes, iris scanners will be installed in the rear-view mirror, and voice activation systems and newer biometrics technology yet to be explored and manufactured will be incorporated into the car.

The benefits of vehicle biometrics

Replacing the car key with biometric identification offers the benefits of convenience everywhere you go since the only authentication device you would need would be yourself. Moreover, once the driver is identified, the car could automatically adjust its features such as temperature, music, maps, and driving position according to the driver’s settings for a personalized driving experience.

Biometric identification can also tighten security by limiting the access of certain things to certain people. For the automotive market, biometric identification will not allow the car to start until it reads the biometrics of the authorized driver, which will effectively prevent and reduce car thefts.

Of course, biometric identification can be used not only for driver identification but can also be greatly beneficial in confirming passengers in car-sharing platforms as well as in monitoring their safety.

The risks of vehicle biometrics

As with other industries, biometric identification for automobiles also presents certain risks. The personal data, including your biometrics information, collected by your car manufacturer is at constant risk of data leak or theft by cyber criminals or due to poor data management. There is also the possibility of cybercriminals tricking or manipulating your car’s biometrics technology in order to steal your car. 

The security with biometric identification, especially at this early stage, is honestly still full of uncertainty because like global technology solutions providers, criminals have also advanced along with technology. That is not to completely discourage the automotive market, though. Biometrics technology still has a long way to go, and where it is now is a great start for the global manufacturing industry.

From being able to track the eye movement of the driver and sense if they are getting tired to being aware if a human child was left trapped inside the car—the future of vehicle biometrics is full of exceptional and exciting possibilities.