Emerging Biometric Technologies
Newer biometric technologies using diverse physiological and behavioral characteristics are in various stages of development. Some are commercially available, some may emerge over the next 2 to 4 years, and others are many years from implementation. Each technique's performance can vary widely, depending on how it is used and its environment in which it is used.
Vein scan biometric technology can automatically identify a person from the patterns of the blood vessels in the back of the hand. The technology uses near-infrared light to detect vein vessel patterns. Vein patterns are distinctive between twins and even between a person's left and right hand. Developed before birth, they are highly stable and robust, changing throughout one's life only in overall size. The technology is not intrusive, and works even if the hand is not clean. It is commercially available.
Facial thermography detects heat patterns created by the branching of blood vessels and emitted from the skin. These patterns, called thermograms, are highly distinctive. Even identical twins have different thermograms. Developed in the mid-1990s, thermography works much like facial recognition, except that an infrared camera is used to capture the images. The advantages of facial thermography over other biometric technologies are that it is not intrusive-no physical contact is required- every living person presents a usable image, and the image can be collected on the fly. Also, unlike visible light systems, infrared systems work accurately even in dim light or total darkness. Although identification systems using facial thermograms were undertaken in 1997, the effort was suspended because of the cost of manufacturing the system.
DNA matching is a type of biometric in the sense that it uses a physiological characteristic for personal identification. It is considered to be the "ultimate" biometric technology in that it can produce proofpositive identification of a person, except in the case of identical twins. However, DNA differs from standard biometrics in several ways. It compares actual samples rather than templates generated from samples. Also, because not all stages of DNA comparison are automated, the comparison cannot be made in real time. DNA's use for identification is currently limited to forensic applications. The technology is many years away from any other kind of implementation and will be very intrusive.
Researchers are investigating a biometric technology that can distinguish and measure body odor. This technology would use an odor-sensing instrument (an electronic "nose") to capture the volatile chemicals that skin pores all over the body emit to make up a person's smell. Although distinguishing one person from another by odor may eventually be feasible, the fact that personal habits such as the use of deodorants and perfumes, diet, and medication influence human body odor renders the development of this technology quite complex.
Blood pulse biometrics measure the blood pulse on a finger with infrared sensors. This technology is still experimental and has a high false match rate, making it impractical for personal identification.
The exact composition of all the skin elements is distinctive to each person. For example, skin layers differ in thickness, the interfaces between the layers have different undulations, pigmentation differs, collagen fibers and other proteins differ in density, and the capillary beds have distinct densities and locations beneath the skin. Skin pattern recognition technology measures the characteristic spectrum of an individual's skin. A light sensor illuminates a small patch of skin with a beam of visible and near-infrared light. The light is measured with a spectroscope after being scattered by the skin. The measurements are analyzed, and a distinct optical pattern can be extracted.
Nailbed identification technology is based on the distinct longitudinal, tongue-in-groove spatial arrangement of the epidermal structure directly beneath the fingernail. This structure is mimicked in the ridges on the outer surface of the nail. When an interferometer is used to detect phase changes in back-scattered light shone on the fingernail, the distinct dimensions of the nailbed can be reconstructed and a one-dimensional map can be generated.
Gait recognition, recognizing individuals by their distinctive walk, captures a sequence of images to derive and analyze motion characteristics. A person's gait can be hard to disguise because a person's musculature essentially limits the variation of motion, and measuring it requires no contact with the person. However, gait can be obscured or disguised if the individual, for example, is wearing loose fitting clothes. Preliminary results have confirmed its potential, but further development is necessary before its performance, limitations, and advantages can be fully assessed.
Ear shape recognition is still a research topic. It is based on the distinctive
shape of each person's ears and the structure of the largely cartilaginous,
projecting portion of the outer ear. Although ear biometrics appears to be
promising, no commercial systems are available.
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