EYE PHONE: NTT Docomo iris authentication using the new Arrows NX F-04G smartphone

Japan’s largest mobile network operator NTT Docomo has unveiled an NFC smartphone that comes equipped with an iris authentication system from Fujitsu that will let owners unlock the device and authenticate mobile payments just by looking at it.

“It authenticates a person [with] the pattern of the person’s iris, which is the ring around the pupil of the eye,” Fujitsu explained when the system was first unveiled in March.

“That pattern is read by shining an infrared LED light on the eyes and taking an image of them with an infrared camera to acquire the iris pattern, which is registered and used to verify matches.”

A video produced by NTT Docomo shows how the technology works in practice:

The Arrows NX F-04G is expected to be released later this month and will be available in three colours — iris green, black and white.