Biometrics Security News and Information

Your Face And Ear

Facial Recognition

Well, it has been awhile since I have written about Facial Recognition, primarily because I have been busy writing about the advances being made in Iris Recognition and Fingerprint Recognition these last few weeks.

Well, now Facial Recognition is making its limelight in the news today.  Apparently, researchers at the University of Miami College Of Engineering have made some breakthroughs which improves the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of Facial Recognition.  But what makes this level of research much more interesting is that it also takes into account the ear, and there is Research and Development being done on Earlobe Recognition, by examining the unique structure of the ear (if this becomes a viable Biometric Technology, it would be an exclusive one, based on the hypothesis that everybody has a different ear structure).

Various 2 Dimensional and 3 Dimensional Models of the face and the ear can be utilized, and accuracy rate in the range of 95%-100% have been claimed.  Here are some more details of the first type of test:  “The systems the researchers have designed can use 3-D facial images, or combine 2-D images of the face with 3-D models of the ear, which they construct from a sequence of video frames, to identify people by unique facial features and ear shapes.  In the first method, the researchers use 3-D facial images with over 95 percent recognition rate, in the lab setting. Conventional shape matching methods commonly used in 3-D face recognition are time consuming.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110090858.htm). 

It should be noted that with the above test, the most unique features which were found and extracted were with the chin, mouth, eye brows, as well as the nose.

The second type of test is known as “Multi-Modal Ear and Face Modeling and Recognition”.  Under this testing, “ . . . a set of facial landmarks from frontal facial images and combines this data with a 3-D ear recognition component-- a much more difficult identification process given the technique's sensitivity to lighting conditions.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110090858.htm). 

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting 

It is through the combination of the above mentioned two types of tests in this Posting which yields the high accuracy and success rate, not just one Biometric alone.  This finding underscores a theme I have been saying all along. 

Yea, Biometrics are a great tool for enhancing Security, but it should not be relied upon solely.  It has its fair share of flaws and problems, just like other pieces of technology and Security technology which is out there.  

Biometrics works great if it is used in conjunction with other layers of Security in a place of business or organization, or if it I used in conjunction with another Biometric Technology, such as the research described in this Posting.  In other words, I am not just talking from a specific standpoint of Biometrics, I am talking from a standpoint of a cardinal rule in Security:  It should be ingrained into your Security Policy not to just have one type or layer of Security defense, you need to have multiple layers. 

As a business owner, I also do get fascinated with the latest and greatest in terms of technology.  But when evaluating Security for your place of business or organization, you literally have to put blinders on and see what works best for you.  There is nothing wrong using old fashioned Security techniques either. 

At times, these in my opinion, work far better than the latest and greatest.  To have maximum levels of Security, you should try to implement a combination of the latest and greatest and the old fashioned of Security techniques and technologies. 

Back to Biometrics, I find this type of research truly fascinating.  From the Postings I have written on, Facial Recognition has been used with other types of Biometric Technologies, in particular Iris Recognition and Fingerprint Recognition. 

There have been serious considerations given to Facial Recognition for its use in the National ID Card and e-Passport schemes.  This is the first time I have seen Facial Recognition being used in conjunction with the ear. 

If Earlobe Recognition does prove to be a viable Biometric Technology, this could be a very powerful Multimodal Biometric Solution.  Especially, taking into consideration how close the ear and face are together.  Multimodal Biometric Solutions today use physiological features which are much more distant from each other, such as the iris and the finger. 

But, no matter how much or many advances are made in Facial Recognition, it has cross the key test first, which is public acceptance of it, which is manifested in the fact that when compared to the other Biometric Technologies available, it is plagued with problems of Privacy Rights. 

Source for this Posting:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110090858.htm

The Common Country Card

The Electronic European Residence Permit

A Biometrics/Security known as “Gemalto” has just announced that an organization known as the “Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda”, or “INCM” for short (this is the is the Mint and Printing Office in Portugal) has started to deploy one of its Smart Card Technologies. 

It is anticipated that 150,000 will be deployed this year alone, and that this trend will continue over the span of the next two years.  This rollout is expected to meet the requirements of the European Union that all member countries must have an Electronic Residence Permit in place by 2010.

Here are some more details:  “The electronic European Residence Permit card provides temporary residence entitlement for non-EU citizens for any stay over three months, and for some shorter work-related stays. It embeds a contactless chip which securely stores facial image and two fingerprints, simplifying residency entitlement verification. As defined in the eERP specifications, the contactless interface is mandatory and meets the same EU standards as biometric e-passports do. The permit also stores id-numbers such as social security and taxpayer identifiers.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7505/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

I find it interesting to see the growth of so many Identification Cards based upon Smart Card Technology.  No doubt, Smart Technology also has its vulnerabilities and weaknesses just like other pieces of technologies do, but it is certainly much better than using an old-fashioned Driver’s License which we still use here in the United States.

As I was writing this Posting, it just dawned upon me how many different types of ID Cards I have written about this year.  This includes the National ID Card, the e-Passport, the TWIC Card, the Driver’s License, Voter Registration ID Cards, various types of other Identity Cards based upon Smart Card Technology, and the list goes on and on.

One my biggest concerns with all of these Identification Cards is that there will be too many of them, especially as Biometrics and Smart Card Technologies develop, as well as their association and integration with each other.

 I just don’t want this to be another explosion like we have seen with usernames and passwords, where we have to remember hundreds of them, and succumb to the “Post-It Syndrome”, in which we write down our passwords, put onto a Post-It Note, and stick it to our computer screen.

Of course, I am not as technically knowledgeable in Smart Card Technologies as I am with Biometrics, but my point is:  With all of the great advances made, why can’t there just be one Smart Card which will act as the National ID Card, the e-Passport, a Driver’s License, a Voter Registration Card, Work Authorization Card, Medical Information and History, Social Security Information, a Visa Card which will electronically contain the required Visa to visit a particular country, etc.???

My point is if Smart Card Technologies can hold so much of information and data, why can’t there be just one common “Country Card” with all of the above mentioned facets for all of the citizens???

Source for this Posting:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7505/

A Gift Idea For Christmas

An Increase In Fingerprint Biometrics Sales

A Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “Simply Biometrics” (they are based out of the United Kingdom) just announced some time ago that they just witnessed an increase in the amount of Fingerprint Scanners they have sold.

Here are the details:  “Sales of the new 4G range of fingerprint readers have seen a 200% rise in sales with continued interest in new multispectral fingerprint readers continuing to grow . . . One of the key reasons identified is the growth of new markets, gyms, offices and health care using biometrics to manage secure staff access and time to monitor staff access and time and attendance.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.biometricnewsportal.com/biometrics_news3.asp?articleid=263883&arttitle=SimplyBiometrics%20reports%20significant%20increase%20in%20demand%20for%20fingerprint%20readers).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

When I first read the Press Release, I thought “Hmmm, well, I guess it sounds good, an increase in demand in any kind of product is good . . .”.  Well, that was my first thought. 

Then I started thinking, well perhaps, this could mean other things such as consumer confidence could be rising, maybe this could be a small glimmer of hope the Global Recession is easing its grips a little bit here and there, maybe perhaps even people’s perceptions and attitudes towards Biometrics could be changing a little bit, etc.

Well, whatever the reason, it is certainly good news.  Well, after thinking all through these possible scenarios, I decided to poke around a little bit at the Vendor’s Website.  And as I was perusing through it, I noticed that they are primarily a “one stop shop” for all sorts of Biometric Devices and Products.  Meaning, you can pretty much order a Device or Product online, and have it shipped to you directly.

Yea, I know, there is not a lot of rocket science to this, there are tons of E-Commerce stores on the Web, and I have seen other Biometric/Security Vendors even have their own online stores.  But what makes this unique is that this is the first time I have seen a Biometrics/Security, in my opinion, offer a 100% online store, devoted to the average consumer.

With the other Biometrics/Security Vendors, although they may have an online store, very often you still have to contact them directly for pricing or for more material if a more complex or customized Biometric Solution is needed.

After going through some more detail at the Vendor’s website, another thought came to me:  Right now, as there are more technological developments occurring within Biometrics, we are witnessing a trend towards much smaller equipment and at drastically lower prices than they were a few years ago. 

So my next thought was simply, could this be another trend in Biometrics, where everything eventually will just be bought and sold online??? 

In other words, will this mean there will be many more “Mom and Pop Stores” offering Biometric Solutions and Products???  Who knows, only time will tell.  But with the way the technology is going, this could very well happen, and who knows perhaps, you could even see such “Mom and Pop Store” selling Biometric Devices and Products in the aisle of your local shopping mall, just like the Cell Phone Market.

OK, one last idea also came to me, as I was writing this Posting:  Since the Holidays are coming up, and now it seems you can buy a basic SSO (Single Sign Solution) online, why not give a different kind of gift to your family and friends, and give them a Fingerprint Scanner, they can use for their Laptop or basic Computer Network (assuming they own a small business).

A truly novel gift idea for Christmas . . .

Source for this Posting:  http://www.biometricnewsportal.com/biometrics_news3.asp?articleid=263883&arttitle=SimplyBiometrics%20reports%20significant%20increase%20in%20demand%20for%20fingerprint%20readers

 

A Customizable Portal

A Voice Recognition API

Just some time ago, I wrote about a new avenue for Biometrics, which is about hosting the various Biometric Technologies in a manner very similar to Web Site Hosting and E-Mail Hosting. 

Essentially, rather than having to purchase all of the hardware and software needed, all of the required networking, Biometric transactions and processing, etc. would be hosted at a service provider.  A key advantage to this is that of cost savings, especially for the small business owner whom is interested in a Biometric Solution, but cannot afford all of the required tools.

Well, a Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “The Voice Commerce Group”, which has a hosted Voice Biometrics Solutions, has just announced it has released an Application Programming Interface, or API, for this hosted route.

Here are some details of it:  “Voice Commerce, the innovative financial services group, today announced the launch of its VoiceTransact Application Programming Interface (API) that allows organisations to quickly and easily access the company’s VoiceTransact Trust Centres . . . The VoiceTransact™ Trust Centre is Voice Commerce’s core operating platform and network that provides voice-based identification, verification and payment services. The Trust Centre stores voice signatures that enable an individual’s identity to be validated and authenticated in real time anywhere using any type of telephone device. Not only is it the only trust centre in the world to be fully certified but it is also the only one that is connected to payment and transaction services that enables voice signature enabled consumers to make payments, either for e-commerce or as a mobile payment.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7500/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

This API from the Vendor possesses a number of key advantages.  First, according to the Press Release, there is a strong level of Ease of Use (which, in my view is a very critical variable in the implementation of a Biometric System), meaning it can integrate seamlessly with existing businesses and security processes.  Second, it can operate also very easily with the merchant accounts which are available from the various Credit Card organizations such as Master Card, American Express, Visa, etc.

As business owners, we all have our own Web Hosting and E-Mail Hosting through the tens and thousands of Internet Service Providers which exist today.  There is a feature known as the control panel, which allows us to manage that specific  account. 

This acts as the portal between our business and our Website upon which we depend so greatly for the online presence.  Very often this control panel is provided to us by the ISP, and there is really no way to customize to our very own specific business needs.

Well, in this regard of the control panel, this API can be thought of as in the same manner.  It acts as the portal between the business owner and the hosted Voice Recognition Solution, but it goes one step further, in that the exact customization of the API is allowed. 

For example, “As such, VoiceTransact customers will be able to rapidly build their own identity and verification or identity verification and payment system into their business using a system that ensures global interoperability standards.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7500/).

I have written about how I project that Iris Recognition will be the dominant technology in 2010 and beyond, I forecast as well that Voice Recognition will be the Biometric choice for hosted applications as it evolves.  This is so because of all of the Biometric Technologies available today, I would consider Voice Recognition among one of the easier ones to implement (it is interesting to note here how much, at least in theory, how much easier it sounds to deploy and implement a Behavioral based Biometric System versus a Physical based Biometric System).

Finally, while it is very possible many more are out there, but this is the first I have heard of a completely customizable portal for a hosted Biometric Solution . . . .

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7500/

The 3rd Quarter

Financial Results

In my Postings this week of the match up between the Iris and the Fingerprint, I neglected some other very important news.  That is, this is Earnings Season, and Biometric/Security Companies have been coming out with the results.

The latest Vendor which has released 3^rd Quarter Results (from what I have seen on the Internet) is Cogent Systems.  Apparently, 3^rd Quarter Revenues were valued at $28.9 Million versus $35 Million from just a year ago, and Net Income for the 3^rd Quarter was valued at $5.7 Million versus $12 Million from a year ago. 

It should be noted that all of the numbers mentioned are on a GAAP basis.

The Vendor expects to have good revenue growth with orders from the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS.  Specifically, this has to deal with the US-VISIT Program, and its use of 10 Fingerprints instead of the usual two (in fact, the US-VISIT Program is a major piece in my upcoming newsletter).  Other contracts are also in the pipeline from the Government side of things, especially with AFIS. 

The Vendor also announced a stock buy back program valued at $100 Million.

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

While revenue and net income numbers are down, this is pretty much true across the board of most of the Biometric/Security Vendors.  The global recession has not let up its grip on this sector either. 

But in my view, the good news is that at least in the Biometrics Sector, while numbers appear to be down, there is no volatility in the numbers.  So, hopefully this supports my hypothesis I have made earlier this year of slow, steady growth for Biometrics.

I would take this type of development rather than a sudden, explosive growth tapered off with a massive downturn.  But this is me, and I always tend to think about the long term impacts more than short term impacts.

The only thing I take issue with is that the Federal Government is still the major customer for Biometrics Products and Solutions.  It would really be encouraging to see the private sector have more in this.

But with everybody cutting back on spending (usually in time of recessions or other types of economic downturns, it is the IT and Security Budgets which get the axe first, because outsourcing is always a viable option because of its much cheaper costs), this shouldn’t be expected for quite some time.

Just recently, there seemed to be a little spurt in the increase of the private sector just recently, but it seems it has faded since then.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7489/

The Finger Or The Eye???

A Fingerprint Test

Just yesterday, I wrote a Posting as to how I expect Iris Recognition to surpass Fingerprint Recognition in the coming year.  Well lo and behold, today I come across a Press Release which talks about a Fingerprint Test conducted by the same organization (the National Institute of Standards and Technology or NIST) which released the Iris Recognition Report.

This particular Fingerprint Test is known as the “Minutiae Interoperability Exchange”, or “MINEX” for short.  A Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “TigerIT Bangladesh Limited” claims that its Mathematical Algorithms for Verification/Identification/Extraction were overall superior, and was ranked #1.

Here are some of the details:  “The NIST test results were released on October 27, 2009 and revealed that combination of the TigerAFIS enrollment template generator and the matcher showed False Non-Match Rate 0.06% at a fixed False Match Rate of 0.01 for two fingers, outperforming everyone . . . Along with the best result for the combination of template generator and matcher, both these components of TigerAFIS maintain high interoperability. TigerAFIS combines its own false non match rate of 0.0006 with 0.0021 for median for template matcher and with 0.0031 for median enrollment generator into another best number among all of the vendors (the median is most relevant as it helps to remove the irregularities caused by nearly non-compliant vendors in the test). This result establishes that TigerAFIS template generator manages to effectively filter out noisy minutiae and yet preserve enough information to remain highly interoperable.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7497/)

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

The actual, statistical results of the MINEX Test can be dowloaded here, at this link:

http://fingerprint.nist.gov/minex/Results.html

I find it very interesting in the over one year of blogging I have done with regards to Biometrics, this is the first time I can remember where I have seen two competing Biometric Technologies come out in such a neck to neck competition, and on successive days.

Hmmm . . . so what will it be?  The Finger or the Iris?  I’ll be a betting person and say the Iris will come out winning in the end.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7497/

The Year 2010: A Huge Transition

A New, Dominant Biometric Technology

For the longest time, Hand Geometry Recognition and Fingerprint Recognition have been the predominant Biometric Technologies, virtually for all types of market applications, ranging from Physical Access Entry to the e-Passport and the National ID Card.

Well, according to a new report published by the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, or NIST for short, Iris Recognition is coming out strong, and could very well surpass Fingerprint Recognition as the new and dominant Biometric Technology of choice.

The report made mention of the fact that the mathematical algorithms utilized by Iris Recognition can keep up with their “accuracy and interoperability” with very small images.  According to the report, this proves that Iris Recognition can withstand the rigors of large scale market applications such as Identity Management, Cyber Security, etc.

Here are some more details:  “NIST established the Iris Exchange IREX program as a NIST-industry collaboration to encourage development of iris recognition algorithms operating on images conforming to the new ISO-IEC 19794-6 standard. The first IREX project, IREX I, provided quantitative support to the standard by conducting the largest independently administered test of iris recognition technology to date. The test attracted 19 recognition technologies from 10 different providers. This represents an order of magnitude expansion of the industry over the past five years . . . The international standard, now under revision, defined three competing image formats and three compression methods: the IREX I test narrowed the field by determining which ones performed consistently at a high level and are included in the IREX report. The image format test showed that two of the three formats performed well: these center and crop the iris, or center, crop and mask eyelids and eyelashes. The study also determined that two compression standards were found to squeeze the images to a size small enough for storage and transmission while retaining the necessary quality level. One is the JPEG2000 which gives better recognition accuracy than the more commonly used JPEG, and the other is PNG format that employs lossless compression to completely preserve the iris information.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7494/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

These findings by NIST come to no surprise to me.  I have been writing about the advances in Iris Recognition ever since the beginning of the year, and have always made the claim that it is the most rapidly developed Biometric Technology, in terms of advances being made.

The report discussed in this Posting can be downloaded here, at this link:

http://iris.nist.gov/irex/irex_report.pdf

Part of the claim comes from the fact that the robustness of the Iris Recognition Algorithms have come to the point where they can process images of the Iris, extract the unique features, and produce the Verification and Enrollment Biometric Templates, from just about any type of picture produced. 

As a result, this allows for the Iris Recognition Templates to fit onto the size of a Smart Card (thus, making the ideal Biometric Template for the National ID Card and the e-Passport), and because of this compression now available, the Iris Recognition Templates  can now  be transmitted across any Local Area Network or Wide Area Network. 

Ultimately, it is believed that “ . . . iris recognition . . . [can] advance . . . as the global interchange medium . . .”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7494/).

Let me bump up the time frame by saying that I believe 2010 will mark the passing of the torch from Fingerprint Recognition to Iris Recognition as the predominant Biometric Technology for quite a long time to come.  Truly, a new year of transition.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7494/

The Physical And The Behavioral

Multimodal e-Passports

Today’s Posting continues with the theme of the e-Passport once again.  I realize that in recent months, my writings about the e-Passport have been fairly random, with not a lot of consistency, as I did at the beginning of the year. 

I guess this trend reflects, to a certain degree, the pace at which governments worldwide are implementing and deploying their various e-Passport Infrastructures and schemes.  The next country to be added to the list is Lithuania. 

The Government of Lithuania has decided upon a Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “Speed Identity” to provide the Biometrics component to their e-Passport Infrastructure.  Here are some of the details:  “After an extensive evaluation of the market’s technical solutions, the Lithuanian authority chose the tried and tested biometric capture solutions from Speed Identity. The solution has been used by Swedish Police Board and Swedish Migration Board for several years, both for the purpose of capturing biometric data such as facial pictures, finger prints and digital signatures. The data is used for the production of passports and migration documents.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.biometricnewsportal.com/biometrics_news3.asp?articleid=263870&arttitle=Speed%20Identity%20supplies%20biometric%20capture%20equipment%20for%20Lithuanian%20e-passports).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

The basic thrust of the e-Passport is to be able to store tons of Security Data and Information about an individual, and this includes employing the use of various types of Biometrics.  In most of the Postings I have written, the Biometrics to be used were primarily Fingerprint Recognition and/or Iris Recognition. 

I find it to be rather unique that the Lithuanian e-Passport scheme will also include Facial Recognition.  While this is a viable Biometric one can use, I have not come across it very often for its use in an e-Passport Infrastructure.

What is even more interesting, as noted in the above quote, is the Vendor’s ability to capture all sorts of Biometric Templates, both from a physical (Facial and Fingerprint Recognition) and behavioral (Signature Recognition) standpoints. 

Most, if not all, Biometric Multimodal Solutions either use multiple layers of one or the other, not both.

Well, I am definitely scratching my head about this one, physical and behavioral characteristics in one type of Security environment . . . .

Source for this Posting:  http://www.biometricnewsportal.com/biometrics_news3.asp?articleid=263870&arttitle=Speed%20Identity%20supplies%20biometric%20capture%20equipment%20for%20Lithuanian%20e-passports

Biometrics In The Coming Decade

Dialogue On Biometrics

Well, as much as I have written about, I finally came across an event which took place in New Dehli, India, between September 24^th and September 25^th of this year (yea, I know we are already in November, but I just saw this today!!!). 

This event was called the “RISE Project”, and the major thrust of it was discussing the implications of Biometrics, Ethics, Policy Implications, etc.  A major player in this Project/Conference is an organization known as “Global Security Intelligence”, and one of the panels they moderated discussed such topics.

Here are the details of what transpired in New Dehli, on a macro level:  “The recent meeting, which took place at the Hotel Taj Palace in New Delhi, was organized by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), a self-regulatory organization created by Nasscom. The meeting addressed broad issues between the EU and India related to the vital policy issues of security, data protection, privacy and ethics. Panel topics covered concerns on the use of biometric data, current practices in privacy protection, cyber security from a government's perspective, discussions on physical security, as well as reviewed several case studies related to the secure and privacy enhancing use of biometrics. The overall goal of the event was to promote and foster international conversations between India and Europe on these topics, as well as to engage stakeholders from the US and from other Asian nations.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7481/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

Apparently, this was a very well attended Conference, with more than 300 or so people participating in it.  But what is even more encouraging is that this Conference held in New Dehli is going to serve as a “springboard” for future events in the near future.  For example, another Conference will be held from January 4^th-January, 5^th in Hong Kong, and other smaller Conferences were held earlier in October of this year to gauge the issues of the European countries (this was held in Brussels). 

There are also other Conferences which will be held in March and September of next year, and an overall Conference discussing all of the key issues (I am assuming on a global level) will be held again in Brussels in December of 2010.

I think it is very encouraging to see this type of dialogue taking place, especially in Europe and Asia, where there have been great advances made in Biometrics and the e-Passport.  In my view, these geographic regions have really been much more proactive than the United States with regards to advancing new types of Biometrics Technologies, especially with regards to Security Documents. 

And now it seems, these regions could very well be taking the lead in discussing the public perception and social implications of Biometrics.  Even in the face of economic gloom and doom and the prosperity of people around the world in question, it is truly great to see people come together to talk about Biometrics.

To me, it is a sign that Biometrics will enjoy a healthy future in the coming decade.  If not in the United States, probably then in Europe and Asia.  Hopefully, in the coming decade, the emphasis will not be so much on further advancing Biometrics, but rather, advancing Biometrics in terms of public acceptance and its societal implications.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7481/

Biometrics On The Go

Technology Is Advancing

A Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “Sagem Securite” has just announced that it has unveiled a new Biometrics Product at the Biometrics 2009, a major Biometrics Tradeshow held in Europe in which the various Vendors come and show case their Biometrics Products and Solutions.

This new Product is called “Finger On The Fly”, and can literally capture images of a Fingerprint of a moving Hand.  Here are the details:  “For the first time, a contactless biometric recognition technology can capture and process the fingerprints from four fingers on a hand in movement, in just a few seconds. Well suited to current requirements, this technology enhances security and speeds up flows in crowded areas, such as airports. It can also be used as the basis for a more user-friendly identification system, involving fewer restrictions for users.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7484/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

This is truly a testament to how much Biometrics Technology is advancing.  This is the first time I have come across a technology which can capture Biometrics from something in motion.  Quite some time ago, I wrote a Posting on a breakthrough in Iris Recognition, and how it can now be used to capture the Iris Images of people in motion as well.

Probably the next Biometric Technology which would be devoted to examining something in motion will be Gait Recognition.  This examines the unique ways and features in the way we walk, or our stride.  There is still some time till this proves to be a viable Biometric Technology, but when compared to the speed and level of the Research and Development of other Biometric Technologies in the pipeline, Gait Recognition has the most promise.

It would be truly fascinating to see if all of the existing Biometric Technologies can be captured from a standpoint of mobility.  Right now, all of these Biometric Technologies require the end user to be stationary while the unique features are extracted and the Biometric Templates are created.

However, as I am writing this Posting, there is one drawback I can foresee.  That is of the issue of Privacy Rights once again.  If Biometrics does indeed come to a point where all of the technologies can capture objects and unique features in motion, could this type of technology be implemented in a way which is analagous to having a CCTV Camera on every street corner?  It could very well be possible.

But despite this, just think about the potential this new realm to be known as “Biometrics On The Go” can offer to all sorts of the various types of Market Applications.

It truly boggles the mind and stimyies the imagination.

Source for this Posting:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7484/