“It’s not that we use technology, we live technology.” -Godfrey Reggio
My day often ends with reading an online article on my mobile phone. You may not share my love of reading, but I’d be surprised if your day doesn’t end with watching some TV or checking your Facebook notifications. Honestly, nothing comes close to the experience of lying in bed, with the lights in my room turned off, and chatting with my beloved on an instant messaging system. Bliss!
Technology has become deeply ingrained in our lives. Biometrics is only one branch, but it is increasingly used. I’ve decided to write a series on him, at EzineArticles.com, and we start with his most popular types!
Iris recognition: The iris is a thin, colored, circular part of the eye, located on its forehead. When we refer to someone’s eyes as “black” or “blue”, it is this part that we are talking about. Like the biological characteristics of human fingers, the iris of each human being is unique. In this method, the mesh work of this membrane and its freckles are used to identify a person. The scans are taken with a normal video camera or a specialized scanner. He was employed by the Indian government for the country’s national identification program, Aadhaar.
Fingerprint recognition: This is one of the most popular types of biometric data. Characteristics of a fingertip surface, patterns of ridges, valleys (Minutias), and grooves, are analyzed to determine identification. Included in these patterns are the arcs, whorls (spirals and concentric circles) and loops of the fingerprint. Two images are checked for a match to determine a person’s identity. Apart from being commonly used in biometric attendance system, it is also used in forensics.
Face recognition: Visual biometrics analyzes facial features, such as the distance between the eyes, the size of the nose, and the shape of the cheekbones, using computer applications to authenticate an identity. First, the images are taken by a security or 3D camera in real time, and then they are evaluated and the measurements are recorded in a database. Unless a 3D camera is used, there must be sufficient lighting for the images. The most notable application of this technique is in areas of law enforcement.
Speech recognition: The voice has over a hundred features! Auditory biometrics compares a speaker’s voice to its corresponding pre-recorded voice model template to verify the speaker’s claim to be from a certain person. In case of an unknown speaker, it is compared against several templates. This type uses measurable physiological and behavioral factors for recognition. Tone, frequency, and nasal tone are some of these factors. Perhaps its most common application is in telephone banking.