FaceHeart Inc., one of our InnoVEX 2019 exhibitors, a Taiwan-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup founded by Professor David Wu at NCTU (National Chiao Tung University), has reached a valuation of NT$500 million to scale its business and help firms in Taiwan to develop their smart security solutions.
Founded in 2018, FaceHeart has received multiple funds from various investors. MediaTek Inc. (MTK), a Taiwan-based IC design company, is one of the investors among others financed FaceHeart’s series A round.
FaceHeart takes the concept of analyzing one’s face measuring the vital signs including heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and blood pressure and applies these technologies to various smart-tech developments. By detecting the colors of users’ facial blood vessel, FaceHeart’s A.I. solution can transform these data into health indicators such as heart rate, blood pressure, emotion, etc. within 6 seconds.
In addition to health indicators, the solution is also equipped with facial recognition functionality. When health indicators and facial recognition capability are combined, the solution becomes holistic and can be applied in many different scenarios such as cybersecurity, fintech, transportation, and healthcare.
The scenarios in our everyday life
Based on the research conducted by ATM Industry Association (ATMIA), “studies found that 86% of respondents experienced ATM data fraud in the last 12 months, 96% experienced physical fraud and 79% experienced cyber fraud."
ATM attacks and fraud are something that banks are struggling from around the world. Fortunately, companies such as FaceHeart have the capability and have partnered with several financial institutions here in Taiwan to reinforce banking security.
By integrating FaceHeart’s solution on ATMs and bank counters, the system can run facial recognition on each customer and detect abnormal behaviors by monitoring an individual’s heart rate and emotion. This new technology may help banks and financial institutes to prevent or reduce physical fraud effectively while maintaining a business relationship with their customers and this is often known as KYC (Know Your Customer).
The COVID-19 Outbreak
The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has caused dramatic damage to the world’s economy and result in many nations closing their borders. Many countries have been seeking ways to block the virus from spreading.
Dr. David Wu mentioned during the interview that FaceHeart’s technology can help during this difficult time. FaceHeart is currently modifying its solutions to meet the needs of pandemic prevention. Soon, we might be able to measure the temperature with a sensor and vital signs with the camera on our phone with FaceHeart’s technology.
InnoVEX 2020 Coming Soon in September!
InnoVEX 2020 will be held from September 28th to September 30th at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 2 (TaiNEX 2). Besides the exhibition, there are pitch contest, matchmaking, and more on-site events waiting for you to explore! Please visit InnoVEX 2020 Official website for more details.