A slew of the world’s largest automakers, including Sony, Honda, Ford, Genesis, and Mullen Automotive, have all either recently announced or patented facial recognition technologies.
A newly unveiled prototype car from Sony and Honda, called “Afeela,” is set to employ facial recognition to unlock the vehicle and open its door.
The semiconductors and chipsets set to underpin this biometric tech will be provided by electronics giant Qualcomm.
The firms will start taking orders in 2025, with U.S. deliveries set to start in 2026.
Commenting on the move, Sony Honda Mobility President Izumi Kawanishi told Axios, that though the automotive industry has been “a very traditional business,” it is “growing up” by adopting products and software from the IT world.
Ford is yet another example of a major automaker that appears it could be getting into the action. In June, the auto giant filed a patent application for “enhanced biometric authorization,” which includes but is not limited to facial recognition.