Updated May 14, 2020 - Health

CLEAR chief: Travel will be an "all-in-one touchless experience"

CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Industries need to adapt to be able to bring down the risk of viruses and pathogens while also rebuilding consumer confidence during the coronavirus pandemic, Caryn Seidman-Becker, CEO of biometric identity company CLEAR, said at an Axios virtual event on Thursday.

The big picture: Seidman-Becker said that many of these needs are the same that emerged following the 9/11 attacks: safety and ease. She said biometric technology and linked information could be used to increase consumer confidence as stadiums and workplaces reopen.

What she's saying: "I think what you are going to see, not only in travel, which was deeply impacted by 9/11, but across so many industries that are having the same structural problems, bringing back both their employees and their customers ... is the need for this multilayered approach using innovation and technology like biometrics."

  • CLEAR is developing an app that could link to lab results the way biometrics are now linked to boarding passes. It will use facial recognition software as well.
  • Passengers will be able to have an "all-in-one touchless experience."
  • "I also think what consumers want, and what we saw after 9/11 as anxiety rises, you want ... predictability and control over your experience, and so we are launching a home-to-gate app for travel which connects traffic information."

Editor's note: This has been updated with new information.

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