CAMPBELL, Calif., Sept 17, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- AOptix Technologies, Inc., (AOptix) (www.aoptix.com), a leading-edge developer of advanced iris biometrics products and long-distance wireless optical communications solutions, today announced that AOptix and Aware, Inc. (Nasdaq: AWRE) will be demonstrating a prototype dual-factor iris and face biometrics system in the AOptix exhibition booth at the upcoming Biometrics Consortium Conference and Technology Expo. The event takes place in Tampa from September 21 to 23, 2010.

This prototype integrates AOptix's innovative InSight^™ 2 meter iris recognition system with Aware's Universal Registration Client^™ (URC) and an industry standard face imaging camera. Aware's URC application and underlying SDKs provide an intuitive user interface for automated enrollment of iris and face images, as well as an option for fingerprint biometrics and biographic information, while the InSight system automates iris biometric capture at a nominal stand-off distance of 2 meters. The face and iris imaging and quality scoring occur simultaneously, resulting in rapid, automated capture of two irises and the face, typically in only 4 to 5 seconds.

The InSight system automates the iris recognition process through its innovative adaptive optics approach, which optimizes subject usability and delivers a highly simplified instruction set. Subjects are required only to move into a very large capture zone of .75 cubic meters, look at the system and open their eyes. The biometric face imaging relies on the same instruction set, resulting in dual biometric capture with no additional effort on the part of the subject.

"Aware is pleased to contribute our proven URC application and PreFace^™ facial image capture SDK to this exciting solution from AOptix," said Rob Mungovan, Vice President of the Advanced Products Group at Aware. "Simultaneous face and iris capture represents an important milestone for the biometrics industry."

AOptix foresees strong demand for combined biometrics solutions across many applications. Many users within the biometrics community have already expressed strong interest in combining face and iris into a single product.

"Combining ISO standard face imaging with the AOptix InSight iris recognition system is a natural extension of our technology," said Phil Tusa, Vice President of Biometrics at AOptix. "There are many important applications for combined face and iris in a single system, including law enforcement, immigration control and ID program enrollment."

About AOptix Technologies

AOptix Technologies is a privately funded company founded in 2000. With core technology expertise in the application of advanced adaptive optics, it develops free space optical communications and iris biometrics based identification solutions for both government and commercial markets. For additional information, please see www.aoptix.com.

About Aware

Aware is a leading technology and supplier for the telecommunications and biometrics industries. Aware has pioneered innovations at telecommunications standards-setting organizations for DSL and networking. Telecom equipment vendors and phone companies use Aware's DSL test and diagnostics modules and Dr. DSL^® software to provision and troubleshoot DSL circuits globally. Aware is also a veteran of the biometrics industry, providing biometric and imaging software components used in government systems worldwide since 1992. Aware's interoperable, standard-compliant, field-proven imaging products are used in a number of applications, from border management to criminal justice to medical imaging. Aware is a publicly held company (Nasdaq: AWRE) based in Bedford, Massachusetts. www.aware.com

Safe Harbor Warning

Portions of this release contain forward-looking statements regarding future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties, such as estimates or projections of future revenue and earnings and the growth of the biometrics markets. Aware wishes to caution you that there are factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results indicated by such statements. Biometric factors include, but are not limited to: market acceptance of our biometric technologies and products; changes in contracting practices of government or law enforcement agencies; the failure of the biometrics market to experience continued growth; announcements or introductions of new technologies or products by our competitors; failures or problems in our biometric software products; delays in the adoption of new industry biometric standards; growth of proprietary biometric systems which do not conform to industry standards; our ability to sell services contracts in a manner that is consistent with our business model; our ability to deliver service contract milestones; and our dependence on third party contractors and consultants to deliver certain services contract milestones. We refer you to the documents Aware files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the section titled Risk Factors in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 and other reports and filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Aware, PreFace, URC and Dr. DSL are trademarks or registered trademarks of Aware, Inc.
Any other trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Aware, Inc.