Voicekey, a smartphone security developer spun-out from Nottingham Trent University (NTU), has signed a deal with the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide it with voice identity software.
The software utilises artificial intelligence based on a mathematical model which can recognise unique aspects of an individual’s voice, and use this to confirm their identity. Furthermore, the software can be used with any telephone or mobile device, allowing users to verify themselves quickly from a distance.
Voicekey is also reportedly in talks for a multilingual voice biometric for online gaming in Japan, and has recently received £60,000 ($98,000) grant from the Nottingham Technology Grant Fund.
Tony Allen, the professor at NTU behind Voicekey’s technology, said: “The Voicekey system uses neural connections similar to those used in the human brain. However, where the human brain has billions of neurons, Voicekey uses only hundreds. It’s a unique system and nothing like it has been developed anywhere else in the world. We’re picking up a lot of interest from a number of business and industry sectors internationally.”
