Russian University Graduates To Make Bio-Passport for Larry Ellison
Nov 19, 2004
MOSCOW, Nov 19 (RIA Novosti) - One of the richest men in the world (ranked 12th in the Forbes rich list with a fortune of $18.7 billion), Larry Ellison, the president and general director of Oracle, the world's largest developer of corporate software, has become a co-owner of the A4Vision company. The businessman has already invested $4.8 million in the company, which was founded by two Russian students, through third party funds.
In 2000, two students at Bauman University, Artem Yukhin and Andrei Klimov, invented a scanner making a digital copy of any 3D surface, including a human face. This technology is suitable for identification, and, unlike fingerprinting and iris "print", a face scan can be done without the person knowing it. This is particularly useful for law-enforcers and security services.
The bulk of this investment will go on work to develop biometric passports. In 2002, 188 nations signed the New Orleans agreement acknowledging that facial biometrics would be the main identification technology for next generation passports and visas. In late 2005, U.S. and EU citizens will receive bio-passports, and in 2006, Russia will start issuing these documents for citizens traveling abroad. "This market is in for a boom," said Vladimir Bernstein, an investment director with the venture fund, Russian Technologies.
Larry Ellison's investment might help A4Vision become one of the key players on the biometric technology market. The presence of such a minority shareholder as Mr. Ellison may increase the company's value as well, say IT market participants.
"Ellison's arrival in the A4Vision business shows how the world has changed," said Leonid Boguslavsky, chairman of ru-Net board Holdings. "In Soviet times, he said that the Oracle technologies would only get into Russia in the warheads of ballistic missiles."
In 2003, the turnover of A4Vision trading in biometric programs and scanners approached $1 million.
In 2000, two students at Bauman University, Artem Yukhin and Andrei Klimov, invented a scanner making a digital copy of any 3D surface, including a human face. This technology is suitable for identification, and, unlike fingerprinting and iris "print", a face scan can be done without the person knowing it. This is particularly useful for law-enforcers and security services.
The bulk of this investment will go on work to develop biometric passports. In 2002, 188 nations signed the New Orleans agreement acknowledging that facial biometrics would be the main identification technology for next generation passports and visas. In late 2005, U.S. and EU citizens will receive bio-passports, and in 2006, Russia will start issuing these documents for citizens traveling abroad. "This market is in for a boom," said Vladimir Bernstein, an investment director with the venture fund, Russian Technologies.
Larry Ellison's investment might help A4Vision become one of the key players on the biometric technology market. The presence of such a minority shareholder as Mr. Ellison may increase the company's value as well, say IT market participants.
"Ellison's arrival in the A4Vision business shows how the world has changed," said Leonid Boguslavsky, chairman of ru-Net board Holdings. "In Soviet times, he said that the Oracle technologies would only get into Russia in the warheads of ballistic missiles."
In 2003, the turnover of A4Vision trading in biometric programs and scanners approached $1 million.