A near-infrared face recognition system using DaVinci technology (OMAP3530) and embedded technique is proposed. The system uses 850 nm wavelength LEDs to provide proactive near-infrared light. Coordinating by OMAP3530 and EPM570 processors, it achieves visible and near-infrared images in real-time. The software design is based on the Codec Engine framework. Within the proposed system, ARM is responsible for image acquisition, user interface and database management, while DSP focuses on the core algorithms of image evaluation, face localization, feature extraction and matching. The system takes full advantage of the rich interface and powerful ima ge processing capability of OMAP3530 and is optimized by the C and assembly languages. Even when the light intensity changes, the system can still obtain accurate and fast recognition results.