October 01, 2007 08:00 ET

GE Homeland Protection Takes Checkpoint of the Future Aviation Security Vision to Next Level With Air Passenger Identity Kiosk Development Program

ID Kiosk Development, Partially Funded by Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD), Seeks to Improve on Today's Manual Operator-Based Identity Systems

NEWARK, CA--(Marketwire - October 1, 2007) - GE Homeland Protection Inc., a business of GE Security, Inc. and a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), today announced it has begun a development program designed to create an automated air passenger identification system potentially more effective and less costly than the manual processes employed at today's airport screening lanes. The program is being partially funded by the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD).

The aviation identity kiosk development program seeks to supplement advances in passenger screening already attained by GE Security's Checkpoint of the Future initiative, bringing an advanced technology solution to the head of the security lane where passengers' government-issued ID photos are currently compared by security officials with faces and the names on boarding passes.

Through this development program, GE Security hopes to be able to offer a high-tech passenger identity kiosk providing further enhancements to security and the passenger experience while helping to reduce operational costs. The improvements are expected to come from integrating advanced technologies to create a highly automated identification system purpose-built for aviation security. The new solution is also expected to further improve security by adding threat detection capabilities currently not afforded by manual identification methods.

"GE Security is pleased to be leading this effort to bring potentially dramatic improvements to the way in which commercial aviation passengers are identified and screened," said Dennis Cooke, president, GE Security's Homeland Protection business. "An outgrowth of our Checkpoint of the Future initiative, we expect this automated passenger identification system to ultimately be able to offer potential for improved security, operational cost reductions and greater passenger convenience."

GE Security plans to leverage experience derived from its development and fielding of the first integrated aviation security solution designed to support the emerging Registered Traveler program. The kiosk is expected to include visualization and facial recognition technology developed with GE Global Research. This technology will automate the screening of individuals by verifying a passenger's identity from a live image and the image on their identification document.

Partial funding for the development program is being provided by the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD), established by the United States and Israel in 1977 to fund joint U.S. - Israeli teams in the development and subsequent commercialization of innovative, non-defense technology products from which both the Israeli and American companies can expect to derive benefits commensurate with their investments and risks.

GE Security is partnering with Israeli company MITAM - Advanced Specialized Technological Systems LTD (I-Sec Technologies B.V.), part of ICTS International N.V. group, for the development of the identification document-verification component, which is to be based on a variation of an existing MITAM product that has been deployed for several years and the companies' related experience with identity screening with external databases as well as document authentication and validation.

The aim of GE Security's ongoing "Checkpoint of the Future" effort is to identify technology solutions that may dramatically improve checkpoint security while driving down the total cost of ownership for government and airport operators around the world. The Checkpoint of the Future laboratory, originally operated in San Francisco International Airport's international terminal, is now based at GE Homeland Protection's Magnetics Center of Excellence research center in San Diego.

For more information on the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD), visit http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/BIRD.html.

For more information on MITAM, visit www.isec-technologies.com.

About GE's Security Business

GE Security, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is a leading supplier of security and life safety technologies, with operations in more than 35 countries and $1.8 billion in annual sales. GE Security offers one of the industry's broadest product portfolios, covering explosives and narcotics detection, intrusion and access control, video surveillance, key management, and fire detection. GE Security's products are used to protect people and property across a wide range of industries, including aviation, law enforcement, banking, education, healthcare, mass transit, residential and retail.

GE Security was honored with Frost & Sullivan's 2007 Global Market Leadership Award for Container Security Devices for its CommerceGuard container security solution. For more information about GE Security and our products, please visit www.gesecurity.com.

GE Security, making the world safer.

About GE Global Research

GE Global Research is one of the world's most diversified industrial research organizations, providing innovative technology for all of GE's businesses. Global Research has been the cornerstone of GE technology for more than 100 years, and is now focused on developing breakthrough innovations in areas such as molecular medicine, alternative energy, nanotechnology, advanced propulsion, and security technologies. GE Global Research is headquartered in Niskayuna, N.Y., and has facilities in Bangalore, India; Shanghai, China; and Munich, Germany. Visit Global Research at www.ge.com/research.