I’ve previously discussed the difference between the terms “multimodal” and “multifactor.”
Multimodal is often (though not exclusively) used to discuss the use of different biometric modalities. For example, when Motorola’s Biometric Business Unit was acquired, we joined an organization (Sagem Morpho) that specialized in three biometric modalities: finger, face, and iris.
As you can imagine, the “which biometric is best” wars simply do not apply to the multimodal folks. Unlike someone committed to tongue biometrics because that’s all they do, a multimodal biometric vendor can say “this one’s best here, this other one’s best there.”
So I was a bit surprised to see the recent Biometric Update article, “Iris ID debuts in NIST FRTE 1:1.”
- Iris ID is known for…well, irises.
- FRTE is a face test.
I had some catching up to do.
After all, I was aware of the history of Iris ID (yet another New Jersey iris company) and its spinoff from LG, and although I don’t think I’ve ever met Mohammad Murad, I’ve certainly heard of him.
But Iris ID has branched off from just irises. Here’s what it exhibited at Identity Week America in September 2025:
“Highlighted in the Iris ID booth are the latest advances in multi-modal biometric technology, where iris and face recognition are combined in fully contactless solutions. These innovations are designed to deliver fast, frictionless throughput while ensuring accuracy and reliability, even in high-throughput environments.”
For what it’s worth, the Iris ID “001” algorithm tested in NIST FRTE 1:1 wasn’t an overwhelming world-beater, not even cracking the top 100 in any of NIST’s many, many categories (the best performance was in BORDER:BORDER).
But everyone has to start somewhere.
Just don’t get eyes and faces confused.
A biometric product marketing writer can help.
Bredemarket 