Chennai: The city-based Rs 2-crore turnover Fifth Generation Technologies (FGT) will soon launch a cost-effective access control device suitable for small offices. The device will be economical compared to card-based access control systems in the case of small outfits.

''Our product Access Vision is suitable for offices with 20 and odd employees or to places where access is allowed to only as many employees,'' says FGT director Ananth Seshan.

According to him, the product consists of a camera (fixed atop of the room door to which access is restricted) and is connected to a computer where the images of persons (in different angles) empowered to enter the restricted area are scanned and stored. So when people authorised to enter an area approaches the door, the camera will transmit the image to the computer, which in turn will study the face as well as other unique features of the body and if satisfied will give access.

''In addition to the person's face, our software stores the unique body features of authorised persons so that even a masked person - if not authorised - is restricted from gaining entry and vice versa,'' says Seshan.

The company is trying to make the product as economical as possible. ''We can interface our programme with closed circuit TV (CCTV). We are also looking at the possibility of using web camera for the purpose so that the end cost is cheaper,'' he adds.

Unlike card-based access control systems, Access Vision doesn't need much of maintenance. But he agrees that for large organisations card-based access control systems work out cheaper.

While this product will be launched in two months' time, FGT recently introduced a manufacturing intelligence software product called Enterprise WatchDog. This is an enterprise connector that connects to another software called Visual Plant. Visual Plant is a product of Executive Manufacturing Technologies and Automatika, and Fifth Generation is an authorised dealer for that product in India.

Visual Plant collects and stores vital plant information, which can be provided via seamless connectivity to the enterprise in real time using Enterprise WatchDog. Such information are used by enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems for automatically scheduling predictive maintenance work orders, tracking rejects to supply chain and helps executive management to monitor plant performance metrics in real time.

Seshan says FGT is also into robotics and has developed a lab automation software for a large robotic manufacturer. Other products of the company are Clinicpro (a patient management software for clinics), Pay IT (an expense tracking programme), LawMan (programme managing the activities of a law firm) and Resort Xpert (software for resorts and small/mid sized hotels).