Xilinx shows Virtex-4 FPGA based technology

Biometrics is becoming more important for security applications, but some biometrics technologies — for example, face recognition — require considerable computing power to be both accurate and convenient. We note, therefore, that at the IFSEC show this week, today, San Jose, California-based Xilinx, in collaboration with Glasgow, Scotland-based Dimensional Imaging and the Edingurgh, Scotland-based FPGA High Performance Computing Alliance (FHPCA) will show Xilinx’s latest Virtex-4 FPGA based technology demonstration for high-speed computing. The new technology leverages the high-performance features of Xilinx Virtex-4 devices to accelerate compute-intensive 3D and 4D digital imaging algorithms by up to twelve times, enabling supercomputing performance in a compact platform that communicates with a host PC through a PCI Express interface. Among the applications targeted for the technology we find facial analysis and recognition, biometrics, digital entertainment, and advanced orthodontics (yes, orthodontics).

“In 3D imaging applications, FPGA-based computing will enable greater than 12 times faster execution of Dimensional Imaging’s DI3D(TM) tools, allowing analyses for applications ranging from medical treatments to security biometrics to be performed significantly faster than a conventional software processing model,” says Dr. Colin Urquhart, chief executive officer at Dimensional Imaging. “For image processing on full-motion video, this technology will enable dramatic enhancements in digital entertainment by allowing rapid, accurate modeling of human features to enhance special effects. Other applications will include life-like simulations of real actors in electronic games.”