Identification, Please! by Doug Smith

 

"Retina Scan please," the computer voice tells you. You step up and the computer reads your eye, comparing it to the stored file it has of your retina. The images had better match--otherwise you won’t be able to get that Intergalactic Currency Credit from the Mars Space Teller machine. You’ve worked hard all week in the Moon Rock mine and you need the money to treat  yourself to a soothing Venusian massage.

Far too many sci-fi films have used retina and fingerprint scanners or voice readers as plot devices. The characters in these films are always so nonchalant about these devices, as if they never experienced the panic that comes with losing a door key or forgetting a password or Personal Identification Number (PIN). Well, folks, believe it or not, these seemingly advanced technologies may soon be so prevalent at work, the bank, the airport, and your local prison that you'll get just as used to using them as James Bond or Captain Kirk.

The retina scan, voice scan, and fingerprint scan are all examples of biometrics, an exploding area of automatic personal identification made public at last year’s Comdex computer conference in Las Vegas.

Basically, biometrics uses various means of identity validation based on an individual’s unique physiological and/or behavioral characteristics. These tests generally compare the image seized to a stored image, checking for matches in the particular pattern or characteristic being tested for.

Biometrics technologies can be used to validate fingerprints, voices, irises, body heat patterns, facial images, handprints, signatures, and even computer keystroke rhythms. To increase validation accuracy, multiple biometrics verification systems can be employed in tandem. Biometrics verification is currently in use in some airports, prisons, and hospitals to help control restricted access areas, and have been used by law enforcement and government agencies as well.

Biometrics identification systems have a number of advantages over run-of-the-mill password or PIN (personal identification number) systems. Primarily, the individual who is to be identified has to be physically present to be identified. Secondarily, there are no passwords to remember, forget, forge, lose, or steal.

Biometrics technology has recently become much more accessible, mainly due to the fact that the costs associated with implementing the technology are plummeting. Much of the current technology employs scanners and embedded cameras. Many companies have begun to adopt biometrics identification systems to give their large computer networks stronger security than a mere password-only protection system could ever provide.

Perhaps the simplest and most affordable form of biometrics is the voice scan. All that is required for simple voice scans is a computer, microphone, and the proper software (microphones are commonly included with PCs). The software records the subject's voice and compares it with a stored voice sample for identification purposes.

For added security, finger and handprint scans can also be employed. Fingerprint scans compare a print scan to a stored file, while handprint scans measure a hand’s unique geometric aspects.

Facially, iris scans currently give the highest level of accuracy amongst the available biometrics systems. Full facial scans are currently being implemented at border crossings and airports. Facial scanning equipment can actually track and identify moving faces within a crowd.

As with any new technology, biometrics tools are not without their problems and drawbacks. Foremost, a lack of industry standards exists related to biometrics, as well as a lack of public awareness of its development and potential applications.

Due to the lack of consistent standardization, there may be problems with establishing interchangeable systems with multiple verification capabilities. Perhaps standardized testing will be the solution to this problem.

Some biometrics technologies and their scanning abilities can be affected by environmental or adverse conditions. For instance, illness or stress can affect voice patterns, which will in turn throw the reading off and cause a mismatch. Dirt or skin cuts can affect fingerprint scans, and clever disguises could disrupt a facial scan.

Nontheless, the potential of biometrics is exciting and encouraging. There is little doubt that continued development, testing, and application will improve current technologies. Soon, the days of car keys, passwords, and PIN's will be gone. Just don’t leave home without your fingerprints!

For more information on biometrics:

The Face Recognition Home Page

International Biometric Industry Association

Biometric Consortium

Biometric Identification Methods

 

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