What
are Biometrics?
Biometrics are best defined
as measurable physiological and / or behavioral characteristics that can be
utilized to verify the identity of an individual. They include fingerprints,
retinal and iris scanning, hand geometry, voice patterns, facial recognition
and other techniques. They are of interest in any area where it is important to
verify the true identity of an individual. Initially, these techniques were
employed primarily in specialist high security applications, however we are now
seeing their use and proposed use in a much broader range of public facing
situations.
Different Biometric Technologies
Fingerprint
There are a variety of approaches to fingerprint verification. Some of them try to emulate the traditional police method of matching minutiae, others are straight pattern matching devices, and some adopt a unique approach all of their own. Some of them can detect when a live finger is presented, some cannot. There is a greater variety of fingerprint devices available than any other biometric at present.
Potentially capable of good accuracy (low instances of false acceptance) fingerprint devices can also suffer from usage errors among insufficiently disciplined users (higher instances of false rejection) such as might be the case with large user bases. One must also consider the transducer / user interface and how this would be affected by large-scale usage in a variety of environments. Fingerprint verification may be a good choice for in house systems where adequate explanation and training can be provided to users and where the system is operated within a controlled environment. It is not surprising that the workstation access application area seems to be based almost exclusively around fingerprints, due to the relatively low cost, small size (easily integrated into keyboards) and ease of integration.
Face Recognition
A technique which has attracted considerable interest and whose capabilities have often been misunderstood. It is one thing to match two static images (all that some systems actually do - not in fact biometrics at all), it is quite another to unobtrusively detect and verify the identity of an individual within a group (as some systems claim). It is easy to understand the attractiveness of facial recognition from the user perspective, but one needs to be realistic in ones expectations of the technology. To date, facial recognition systems have had limited success in practical applications. However, new algorithms and system have recently become available which perform as well as other biometrics. As technical obstacles are overcome, we will see facial recognition become a primary biometric methodology.
Voice verification.
A potentially interesting technique bearing in mind how much voice communication takes place with regard to everyday business transactions. Some designs have concentrated on wall-mounted readers whilst others have sought to integrate voice verification into conventional telephone handsets. Whilst there have been a number of voice verification products introduced to the market, many of them have suffered in practice due to the variability of both transducers and local acoustics. In addition, the enrollment procedure has often been more complicated than with other biometrics leading to the perception of voice verification as unfriendly in some quarters. However, much work has been and continues to be undertaken in this context and it will be interesting to monitor progress accordingly.
Iris scanning.
Iris scanning is undoubtedly the less intrusive of the eye related biometrics. It utilizes a fairly conventional CCD camera element and requires no intimate contact between user and reader. In addition it has the potential for higher than average template matching performance. As a technology it has attracted the attention of various third party integrators and one would expect to see additional products launched in due course as a result. It has been demonstrated to work with spectacles in place and with a variety of ethnic groups and is one of the few devices, which can work well in identification mode. Ease of use and system integration have not traditionally been strong points with the iris scanning devices, but we can expect to see improvements in these areas as new products are introduced.
Retinal scanning.
An established technology where the unique patterns of the retina are scanned by a low intensity light source via an optical coupler. Retinal scanning has proved to be quite accurate in use but does require the user to look into a receptacle and focus on a given point. This is not particularly convenient if you are a spectacle wearer or have concerns about intimate contact with the reading device. For these reasons retinal scanning has a few user acceptance problems although the technology itself can work well. The leading product underwent a redesign in the mid nineties, providing enhanced connectivity and an improved user interface, however this is still a relatively marginal biometric technology
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