The Boston startup behind the next generation of smartphone lenses

The startup behind the next generation of smartphone lenses is testing the technology at a lab a few hundred feet away from TD Garden.

Why it matters: Metalenz's technology not only verifies users' identity, but eventually will detect signs of poor air quality and dehydration through facial recognition, said co-founder and CEO Rob Devlin.

Catch up quick: Metalenz inked a deal with Samsung earlier this year to use Samsung's image sensors in Metalenz's biometric security product, "Polar ID."

• Metalenz is focusing on getting Polar ID out to market in the next year.

Flashback: The startup, born out of Harvard University, began mass producing its "metasurfaces" in 2022 and has landed in 45 million phones.

• It's a smaller, flatter lens that can do the same as four or five traditional lenses, Devlin said.
• Unlike other smartphone cameras, Metalenz's tech sorts information in light to capture and verify each user's unique "polarization signature."
• Devlin declined to specify which phones, but WIRED reports Metalenz's optics are in the Google Pixel 8 and the Samsung Galaxy S 23.

State of play: The startup is testing the Polar ID system, along with the algorithms and chips.

• Employees test the Polar ID's ability to suss out photos and 3D masks of the employees versus their actual faces.
• The company has also tested with outside volunteers across various racial and ethnic backgrounds, Devlin said

Zoom in: Metalenz created a mask of one of its employees, Dan, to test the Polar ID features and unlock the phone.

• I wore the mask of his face to try to trick the facial recognition features. Access denied.
• Dan's own face unlocked the phone.

Yes, but: I didn't get to test the Polar ID features with my own face as the default, so I didn't get to experience firsthand how it works with a completely new user.

Between the lines: Polarization imaging isn't new. The technology has been used in medical devices and labs.

• But for the first time, Metalenz is making the technology available for mass production for Polar ID as low as $5 (Devlin says Apple's materials for FaceID are $14 a piece, citing YoleSystem Plus ; Apple didn't respond to requests for comment).

What's next: Devlin expects to update the Polar ID software in the next two years to include health monitoring features.

• He also wants to offer features that let third-party apps use the technology to detect health conditions or abnormalities not monitored directly by Polar ID.

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