Media release from the Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Science, and Digital Society
September 5, 2023
State provides IDloop with €1.3 million in funding
The Jena-based start-up IDloop is receiving funding from the Free State of Thuringia. The Ministry of Economic Affairs is providing over €1.3 million to support the development of stereoscopic recording technology that enables contactless fingerprint capture and complies with FBI specifications. The technology is expected to be ready for market in the summer of 2026. The funds come from the FTI-Thüringen TECHNOLOGIE, guideline, which is co-financed by the ERDF and is part of the"Thüringen MOTIVation“ umbrella funding brand.
Thanks to IDloop GmbH, systems that work on the basis of contact-based, rolled fingerprints will soon be a thing of the past. This is because these previous systems have a problem due to frequent touching: Dirt often collects on the sensor surface, so that several attempts are necessary before a successful scan. In addition, there is a possible germ load due to the finger-sensor contact. The start-up IDloop GmbH from Jena counters these problems with a compact, contactless fingerprint scanner. Your product not only scans a flat fingerprint, but also captures the spatial profile of the entire hand. The minicomputer integrated in the compact scanner calculates the two-dimensional fingerprints in less than 100 milliseconds, which are compatible with comparison with existing databases. In the future, 3D databases can be set up for more precise identification with the help of the Thuringian company.
The company has already successfully demonstrated the basic technology. Currently, however, only a 45-degree capture angle can be achieved—i.e., a pure fingerprint. Now, the capture angle is to be increased to 90 degrees so that the entire rolled fingerprint can be seen. To this end, a new stereoscopic image capture technology is to be developed.
Last year, IDloop received €160,000 in funding from the Thuringian start-up competition get started 2gether for the development of contactless, high-resolution 3D imaging of human fingerprints. The competition is also part of "Thuringia MOTIVation."
In addition, the start-up won the „Innovationspreis Thüringen 2022“ in the "LIGHT & LIFE" category in November. This came with prize money of €20,000. Also in 2022, IDloop was among the winners at Investor Days Thüringen, where they impressed the jury and audience with their pitch performance.
"IDloop clearly demonstrates that it is worthwhile to take advantage of the numerous offers and, of course, funding opportunities available through Thüringen MOTIVation. We are happy to support such bold and forward-looking projects—after all, they also help Thuringia to further advance its position as a leading location for innovation," says State Secretary for Research Dr. Katja Böhler.
Background: Thuringia is a hub for innovation. That is why the Free State has set itself the goal of further strengthening the state's own innovations. Thüringen MOTIVation launched in May, is a program unique in Germany that consistently bundles innovation funding in the areas of business, science, and research. The package includes funding of up to €850 million. This also includes co-financing from the European Union. It offers the opportunity to receive tailored funding from the innovative research idea to the finished product. This allows scientific curiosity and entrepreneurial action to go hand in hand. More information is available online at https://wirtschaft.thueringen.de/innovationsfoerderung