HID Launches Facial Biometrics for North American Markets
New biometric readers bring seamless facial recognition security to small and medium-sized businesses.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- Jul 17, 2026
Facial recognition technology is becoming more widely available for everyday office security.
HID announced the North American release of its Amico biometric facial recognition readers. The launch aims to make hands-free biometric access accessible for a broader range of organizations, including small and medium-sized businesses.
While facial biometrics were historically reserved for high-security government facilities and critical infrastructure, recent advancements in artificial intelligence and edge processing have reduced both deployment costs and complexity. The technology reduces security risks associated with lost physical credentials or forgotten passwords.
The new readers are designed for physical access control at entry doors and are available in 3.5-inch and 7-inch touchscreen models. The devices support five separate authentication methods, including facial recognition, physical cards, PINs, QR codes and mobile access credentials. This allows organizations to transition to biometrics gradually without replacing existing security badges.
The system is designed for high-traffic environments such as offices, healthcare facilities, educational campuses and commercial buildings to speed up entry times.
The architecture includes data privacy options, such as template-on-card technology. This feature stores an individual's biometric data directly on their personal physical credential rather than inside a centralized database.
The larger 7-inch model also supports on-screen user interactions, including visitor guidance and organizational messaging, allowing the hardware to function as an interactive building touchpoint.
The readers are now available throughout North America through authorized company partners.