Cars that scan your face to unlock are coming soon, says Continental

LAS VEGAS: Cars that can recognise their owners from a distance are only a few years away, according to car tyre giant Continental, which is demo-ing a high-tech prototype car at the CES tech fair taking place now.

New interactive solutions that use biometrics to scan faces and to interpret and act on a person's facial and physical movement could go into series production in the next three to five years, the German multinational said.

A car might then be able to recognise and unlock for the owner before remotely starting the engine and proactively opening the boot for them in the supermarket car park.

Conti's sleek demo dubbed the "Intelligent Vehicle Experience Car with IQ" is on display at the sprawling CES event in Las Vegas from Jan 7.

The vehicle can also identify someone who is not authorised to use it and who may be approaching it with criminal intent. In this case, the doors naturally remain locked and a warning is activated.

While some modern cars can now be securely unlocked via the NFC chip in a smartphone, manufacturers have yet to implement biometrics familiar from the facial recognition used by many smartphone apps.

"Biometrics opens up completely new horizons for the mobility of tomorrow," said Claudio Longo, who heads research and advanced engineering.

Continental said the demo car showcases practical and, in some cases, already proven technologies that the company is developing to meet new user demands and expectations.

It is also tackling specific challenges, such as the protection of personal data and the optimized management of energy consumption, to avoid draining the batteries.