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It's a new technology that could very well be called Facebook—if only that name weren't already taken.

Toronto's Bioscrypt Inc. is distributing what it says is the world's first 3-D facial-recognition camera. The VisionAccess 3D DeskCam verifies and identifies individuals who wish to enter buildings or access computers by connecting to a USB port in a computer or laptop. The camera is designed for use in corporate security, banks, hospitals and airports and is the latest entrant into the growing biometrics market, currently worth some $600-million, but expected to grow to more than $3-billion annually within the next five years.

The company's CEO, Robert Williams, says biometrics have traditionally provided security for sensitive areas, but are now being applied to wider areas such as computers and even cellphones. "A lot of these things are just starting to emerge," Williams says, "and this is one that we believe is going to transform our organization."

Until now, fingerprints, iris scans and 2-D facial recognition have formed the bulk of the industry. But unlike those methods, 3-D facial recognition technology can provide fast service in high-access areas such as building lobbies. The 3-D technology originated in Russia, where a company called A4Vision developed a camera that emits a grid of light over a 2-D facial image. That grid is then captured in an infrared camera that reconstructs a wire mesh-like view of a face, scanning 40,000 data points to form a 3-D facial image. While A4Vision invented the technology, it lacked marketing and distribution power. But that changed when Bioscrypt acquired the Russian firm in March for $4.5 million worth of stock.

John Campbell, president of Bion Biometrics, a biometrics consulting and standards firm in Nepean, Ontario, likes what he sees when it comes to 3-D facial recognition technology. While the technology may be costly—a door-access unit runs $3,000—3-D facial recognition is more versatile than 2-D, he says.

Its lone disadvantage is that the technology may not be as accurate as iris or fingerprint scanning, but large-scale studies on 3-D have yet to be done, Campbell notes.

Bioscrypt has already signed up SaferKidz, a child identification organization, in the United States. The organization plans to offer the application as a service for parents who want to enrol their child in the company's I.D. service, a move that's certain to give Bioscrypt's technology a higher profile.