Morpho and Michigan State University launch biometric tattoo recognition research project

Sept. 19, 2012 - PRLog -- Tampa, Florida
Morpho (Safran group) announced the launch of a new project with Michigan State University (MSU) to advance research on biometric tattoo recognition technology. The project seeks to further enhance the capabilities of the tattoo matching software licensed to Morpho in 2009 by the university’s Pattern Recognition and Image Processing (PRIP) Laboratory.
Merging the cutting-edge software acquired from Professor Anil K. Jain’s laboratory at MSU with Morpho core knowledge and enhancements, Morpho was able to produce a state-of-the-art tattoo matching solution. The solution uses features such as tattoo color, shape and texture to assist in automatic identification of individuals by matching a query tattoo against large collections of tattoo images stored in police databases.
Morpho expects that this new project will lead to the development of advanced tattoo identification and analysis techniques for criminal investigations.
"The fusion of the technology we licensed from MSU and Morpho’s core matching capabilities provides our law enforcement customers with an innovative tool to combat crime at both federal and state levels," stated Daniel Vassy, president and CEO of MorphoTrak, a U.S. subsidiary of Morpho."With this new venture, we intend to take tattoo recognition to a new level, beyond person identification, thereby enabling police forces to use this technology to gather intelligence for complex investigations.”
Anil K. Jain, University Distinguished Professor of computer science and engineering at Michigan State University, said “Morpho has been supporting our research lab for more than five years through various technology partnerships and I am delighted to see the results of our research being put to work in law enforcement applications. This is a great example of mutually beneficial collaboration between industry and academia to advance the state of the art in biometrics.”

About Morpho
Morpho, a high-technology company in the Safran group, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of identification, detection and e-document solutions. Morpho is specialized in personal rights and flow management applications, in particular based on biometrics, a sector in which it is the world leader, as well as secure terminals and smart cards. Morpho’s integrated systems and equipment are deployed worldwide and contribute to the safety and security of transportation, data, people and countries.

For more information: www.morpho.com www.safran-group.com
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About MSU
Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.