BIOMETRICS

AUTHORS:

C.SRAVANI
K.SWETHA
H.T.NO: 083N1A0548
H.T.NO:083N1A0555
III B.TECH C.S.E. III
B.TECH C.S.E.
Email:shanu.chintha@gmail.com
Email:skadapala@yahoo.com
PH:7569009094
PH:9701737197

P.V.K.K. INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

RUDRAMPETA
ANANTAPUR
 INTRODUCTION
Biometrics (ancient Greek: bios ="life", metron
ABSTRACT ="measure") refers to two very different fields of study

This paper presents a brief introduction to biometrics and and application. Biometrics is used to identify the

the various biometric systems adopted by it. In this paper it identity of an input sample when compared to a

is described how a person himself can be given as a template, used in cases to identify specific people by

password. Biometrics is automated methods of identifying certain characteristics. Standard validation systems

a person or verifying the identity of a person based on a often use multiple inputs of samples for sufficient

physiological or behavioral characteristic. Examples of validation, such as particular characteristics of the

physiological characteristics include hand or finger images, sample. This intends to enhance security as multiple

facial characteristics, and iris recognition. Behavioral different samples are required such as security tags

characteristics are traits that are learned or acquired. and codes and sample dimensions. Examples of

Dynamic signature verification, speaker verification, and physiological characteristics include hand or finger

keystroke dynamics are examples of behavioral images, facial characteristics, and iris recognition.

characteristics. Biometric authentication requires Behavioral characteristics are traits that are learned or

comparing a registered or enrolled biometric sample acquired. Dynamic signature verification, speaker

against a newly captured biometric sample. The most verification, and keystroke dynamics are examples of

popular biometric technologies are fingerprints, face, behavioral characteristics. Biometric authentication

palm/hand geometry, handwriting, iris, retinal, and voice. requires comparing a registered or enrolled biometric

Biometric technologies are rapidly becoming the sample against a newly captured biometric sample.

foundation of an extensive array of highly secure During Enrollment, a sample of the biometric trait is

identification and personal verification solutions. In the captured, processed by a computer, and stored for later

information age of today, the need for a convenient and comparison. Biometric recognition can be used in

highly secure identification and authentication is crucial Identification mode, where the biometric system

for our personal data protection. One of the most popular identifies a person from the entire enrolled population

and well known biometrics is the fingerprint. Fingerprints by searching a database for a match based solely on

have been used to identify criminals for decades and have the biometric. For example, an entire database can be

more recently been used as a way to provide searched to verify a person has not applied for

authentication. Every person has a unique fingerprint; even entitlement benefits under two different names. This is

identical twins have different sets of fingerprints. Another sometimes called “one-to-many” matching. A system

biometric is the face. For example, a computer login device can also be used in Verification mode, where the

can scan a person's face and determine if they are an biometric system authenticates a person’s claimed

authorized user. identity from their previously enrolled pattern. This is

also called “one-to-one” matching. In most computer
access or network access environments, verification modern approaches are the study of keystroke
mode would be used. A user enters an account, user dynamics and of voice.
name, or inserts a token such as a smart card, but
instead of entering a password, a simple touch with a Strictly speaking, voice is also a physiological trait

finger or a glance at a camera is enough to authenticate because every person has a different pitch, but voice

the user. recognition is mainly based on the study of the way a

person speaks, commonly classified as behavioral.
Other biometric strategies are being developed such as
those based on gait (way of walking), retina, hand
CLASSIFICATION OF SOME veins, ear canal, facial thermogram, DNA, odor and

BIOMETRIC TRAITS: scent and palm prints.

Biometric characteristics can be divided in two main

classes, as represented in figure:
TYPES OF BIOMETRICS
The different types of biometrics are:

• FACIAL
RECOGNITION: In
our everyday lives, our face
is an important part of who we are and how
people identify us. It would be very difficult
for us to interact with and identify others if
everyone looked the same. The face is
arguably a person's most unique physical
characteristic. Other than identical twins,
each person's face has some unique
characteristics that can be distinguished, but
it is a lot more complex for the computer to
quantify these features for recognition. Facial
recognition generally consists of two parts;

• Physiological are related to the shape of the face detection and face identification. Face

body. The oldest traits that have been used detection is the computer's ability to be able

for more than 100 years are fingerprints. to detect a portion of the video image as an

Other examples are face recognition, hand individual's face from a complex background.

geometry and iris recognition. This extraction alone is a challenge for the

• Behavioral are related to the behavior of a software algorithm. Once the location and

person. The first characteristic to be used, area of the face within an image is identified,

still widely used today, is the signature. More the algorithm will need to extract enough
critical features within the face and compare
 these features from a database to accurately
identify the individual. The commonly used
technique for this analysis process is called
Local Feature Analysis. There are other
techniques for facial identification such as the
eigen face technique, but the LFA and its
variants are more popularly used by most
practical implementations today.
Advantages
• Easy to use and requires no special training or
equipment.
• Relatively inexpensive hardware compared to
other biometrics.
• Completely non-intrusive for user to use.
Disadvantages
• It cannot be used to distinguish identical
twins.
• It can have high False Acceptance Ratio for
people with similar features such as family
members and relatives.
• A person's facial features can change over
time.
• Environmental lighting condition might
influence the recognition process.
• HAND/PALM:
Hand recognition
uses the geometric
shape of the hand
for authenticating a
user's identity. This method is an interesting approach,
but individual hand features are not descriptive enough
for identification. However, it is possible to devise a
method by combining various individual features to
attain robust verification. Hand geometry data is easier
to collect; but unlike fingerprints, the human hand isn't
quite as unique. One can use finger length, thickness,
and curvature for the purposes of verification but not
for identification. This technology is more suitable in
situations where there are more users and is perhaps
less disciplined in their approach to the system. With
fingerprint acquisition, good frictional skin is required
by imaging systems, and with retina-based recognition
systems, special lighting is necessary. Hand geometry
can be easily combined with other biometrics, namely
the fingerprint, to enhance the identification
authenticity. One can also devise a system where
fingerprints are used for (infrequent) identification and
hand geometry is used for (frequent) verification. A
typical popular example of hand geometry readers
used in organizations is a time and attendance
recording device. The ease of integration coupled with
the ease of use makes hand geometry a good first step
for many biometric projects.
Advantages
 Easy for end user to use.
 Hand geometry data is easy to collect.
 This form of biometric capture is non-
invasive to the user.
Disadvantages
 The human hand geometry isn't quite as
unique as other biometrics such as fingerprint.
 The False Acceptance Rate can be high
compared to other techniques.
• VOICE VERIFICATION:
Voice verification is a biometric authentication
technology well suited for applications and systems in
which other biometric technologies would be difficult
or inconvenient to implement. This form of biometric
is most often deployed in environments where the
voice is already captured, such as telephony and call
 The iris scanning process begins with a high-
centers. Making use of distinctive qualities of a
resolution infrared imaging camera typically
person's voice, some of which are behaviorally
positioned no more than 3 feet away from the
determined and others of which are physiologically
eye. A low power infrared source is used for
determined; voice verification is typically deployed in
illumination before the image is acquired.
such areas as home improvement and security,
The process takes about one to two seconds
banking account access, home PC, network access,
for the detail image of the iris to be captured,
and many others. Some of the key advantages and
mapped, and stored for future matching and
disadvantages for voice recognition technology are
verification process. Both eye glasses and
listed below:
contact lenses do not affect the quality of the
Advantages
images. A live iris test scan can be verified by
 Easy to use and requires no special training or
monitoring the normal continuous size
equipment.
fluctuation of the person's pupil diameter.
 Relatively inexpensive compared to other
Iris-based biometric technology has always
biometrics. been exceptionally accurate; but it was
 Consumers prefer to use voiceprints over expensive and fairly cumbersome to use in its
other biometric technology for identification early days. With the recent technology
according to a Chase bank’s research study. development, both the size and cost for this
Disadvantages technology have been substantially reduced
 When processing a person’s voice over and thus providing a much more practical
multiple channels such a microphone and then implementation today in the deployment of
over a telephone reduces the recognition rate. high-security physical access applications.
 Physical conditions of the voice, such as Even though the technology has been reduced
those due to sickness, affect the voice verification in cost over the years, it is still relatively
process. more expensive than the fingerprint and facial
recognition technology for implementation in
 Environment noise reduces the overall
most applications. Advantages:
accuracy and effectiveness of the recognition.
 Highly accurate biometric identification.
 The storage requirement for voiceprint
 The iris patterns are extremely complex and
database can be very large.
difficult to duplicate.
 A person’s voice changes over time.
 Very low False Acceptance Rate and False
• IRIS
Rejection Rate.
RECOGNITION:
Disadvantages
  Expensive implementation compare to
fingerprint and facial recognition.
 Requires user's eye to be in close proximity
to the sensor. More intrusive to the user for
operation.
• RETINA
BIOMETRIC:
The retina biometric analyzes the layer of blood
vessels located at the back of the eye. This technique
usually uses a low-intensity light source through an
optical coupler and scans the unique patterns of the
layer of blood vessels known as the retina. Retina
scanning is quite accurate and very unique to each
individual similar to the iris scan; but unlike the iris
scan, it typically requires the user to look into a
receptacle and focus on a given point for the user's
retina to be scanned. This is not particularly
convenient for people who wear glasses or are
concerned about close contact with the reading device.
This technique is more intrusive than other biometric
techniques; as a result, retina scanning is not the
friendliest process even though the technology itself is
very accurate for use in identification, verification and
authentication.
Advantages
 Highly accurate biometric identification.
 The retina patterns are unique and difficult to
duplicate.
 Very low False Acceptance Rate and False
Rejection Rate.
Disadvantages
• Requires close contact with the user's eye;
therefore, very intrusive to the user.
• Requires users to remove glasses prior to
scanning.
• HANDWRITING:
It has long been known that each person has a unique
handwritten signature. The way a person signs their
name or writes a letter can be used to prove a person's
identity. As a replacement for a password or a PIN
number, dynamic signature verification is a biometric
technology that is used to positively identify a person
from their handwritten signature. This form of
identification captures the behavioral biometrics of a
person rather than the physical biometrics such as
fingerprint or iris recognition. The dynamic signature
verification technology confirms the identity of the
user by analyzing the shape, speed, stroke, pen
pressure and timing information during the act of
signing. There is an important distinction between
simple static signature comparison and dynamic
signature verification. Both can be computerized, but a
simple signature comparison only takes into account
of the appearance of the signature. Dynamic signature
verification takes into account of the process of how
the signature was formed. With dynamic signature
verification, it is not the shape or look of the signature
that is meaningful; it is the changes in speed, pressure
and timing that occur during the act of signing. Only
the original signer can recreate the changes in timing
and the three dimensional pressure points during the
signing process. Not every technology captures
signature information in the same way. Some systems
have a static approach and will only record an image
of a signature, therefore, do not record the unique
behavioral elements associated with the execution of a
signature. A pasted bitmap, a copy machine or an
expert forger may be able to duplicate what a signature
looks like, but it is virtually impossible to duplicate the
timing changes in X, Y and Z (pressure). The natural
motion of the original signer would be required to
repeat the patterns. Even though there will always be
slight variations in a person’s handwritten signature,
the consistency created by natural motion and practice
over time generates a recognizable pattern that makes
the handwritten signature suitable for biometric
identification. Signature verification is natural and
intuitive. The technology is easy to be explained and
trusted. The primary advantage of signature
verification system over other types of biometric
technologies is that signatures are already accepted as
the common method of identity verification
throughout our history. That history of trust means that
people are very willing to accept a signature based
verification system.
• Requires more expensive digitizing tablet for
capturing pen pressure.
• There are some inconsistencies to a person's
signature.
• FINGERPRINT:
The three basic patterns of fingerprint ridges are the
arch, loop, and whorl. An arch is a pattern where the
ridges enter from one side of the finger, rise in the
center forming an arc, and then exit the other side of
the finger. The loop is a pattern where the ridges enter
from one side of a finger, form a curve, and tend to
exit from the same side they enter. In the whorl
pattern, ridges form circularly around a central point
on the finger. Scientists have found that family
members often share the same general fingerprint
patterns, leading to the belief that these patterns are
inherited.

The arch pattern

Advantages

• Natural and intuitive; the technology is easy

to be explained and trusted.
• When combined with the pen speed, timing,
and pressure, it is very difficult to imitate.
• Widely accepted form of identification
throughout our history.
The loop pattern
Disadvantages

The whorl pattern
It is important for today's information technology to be
able to securely protect information access to the
proper authenticated users. Critical information can be
lost, stolen or tempered and that can result in lost of
opportunities and/or revenues for the company and
business. Fingerprint identification is a popular
personal identification method for several key reasons:
• Fingerprints do not change over time.
• All fingerprints are unique; even identical
twins have different sets of fingerprints.
• Fast enrollment and matching of fingerprint;
easy to use.
• Low-cost implementation
• Unique identification is accepted worldwide.
• Able to store up to ten fingers for each
personal enrollment in case of potential injury
to the hand.
Currently fingerprint is the most widely used and
widely accepted form of biometric technology.
The typical fingerprint scanner used is commonly
divided into two major groups: Optical and
Capacitive IC sensors. The optical fingerprint
sensor typically uses optical elements to capture
your fingerprint pressed against a transparent
surface onto a CCD photo imaging device similar
to a typical digital video camera. As a result, the
optical method can be very cost effective for large
area fingerprint scanning by leveraging on the
popular and low-cost CCD device market. The
capacitive IC sensor uses a large array of
capacitive sensing elements on a silicon IC
circuit. Each element measures the amount of
capacitance across your skin. In the case of
fingerprint, it measures the capacitance in the skin
where the fingerprint physically touches the
sensor and the capacitance of the air pockets
where the grooves of the fingerprints are located.
An array of these capacitance matrix forms an
actual fingerprint image. Due to the way the
fingerprint image is captured, the capacitive
fingerprint scanner provides an added level of live
test of the actual finger.
WHY USE BIOMETRICS?
Using biometrics for identifying human beings offers
some unique advantages. Biometrics can be used to
identify you as you. Tokens, such as smart cards,
magnetic stripe cards, photo ID cards, physical keys
and so forth, can be lost, stolen, duplicated, or left at
home. Passwords can be forgotten, shared, or
observed. Moreover, today's fast-paced electronic
world means people are asked to remember a
multitude of passwords and personal identification
numbers (PINs) for computer accounts, bank ATMs,
e-mail accounts, wireless phones, web sites and so
forth. Biometrics hold the promise of fast, easy-to-use,
accurate, reliable, and less expensive authentication
for a variety of applications.
There is no one “perfect” biometric that fits all needs.
All biometric systems have their own advantages and
disadvantages. There are, however, some common
characteristics needed to make a biometric system
usable. First, the biometric must be based upon a
distinguishable trait. For example, for nearly a
century, law enforcement has used fingerprints to
identify people. There is a great deal of scientific data
supporting the idea that “no two fingerprints are
alike.” Technologies such as hand geometry have been
used for many years and technologies such as face or
iris recognition have come into widespread use. Some
newer biometric methods may be just as accurate, but
may require more research to establish their
uniqueness. Another key aspect is how “user-friendly”
a system is. The process should be quick and easy,
such as having a picture taken by a video camera,
speaking into a microphone, or touching a fingerprint
scanner. Low cost is important, but most implementers
understand that it is not only the initial cost of the
sensor or the matching software that is involved.
Often, the life-cycle support cost of providing system
administration and an enrollment operator can
overtake the initial cost of the biometric hardware. The
advantage biometric authentication provides is the
ability to require more instances of authentication in
such a quick and easy manner that users are not
bothered by the additional requirements. As biometric
technologies mature and come into wide-scale
commercial use, dealing with multiple levels of
authentication or multiple instances of authentication
will become less of a burden for users. An indication
of the biometric activities.
USES OF BIOMETRICS
Biometric-based authentication applications include
workstation and network access, single sign-on,
application logon, data protection, remote access to
resources, transaction security, and Web security. The
promises of e-commerce and e-government can be
achieved through the utilization of strong personal
authentication procedures. Secure electronic banking,
investing and other financial transactions, retail sales,
law enforcement, and health and social services are
already benefiting from these technologies. Biometric
technologies are expected to play a key role in
personal authentication for large-scale enterprise
network authentication environments, Point-of-Sale
and for the protection of all types of digital content
such as in Digital Rights Management and Health
Care applications. Utilized alone or integrated with
other technologies such as smart cards, encryption
keys and digital signatures, biometrics are anticipated
to pervade nearly all aspects of the economy and our
daily lives. For example, biometrics is used in various
schools such as in lunch programs in Pennsylvania and
a school library in Minnesota. Examples of other
current applications include verification of annual pass
holders in an amusement park, speaker verification for
television home shopping, Internet banking, and users’
authentication in a variety of social services.
CONCLUSION
The future of biometric technologies is promising.
Biometric devices and applications continue to grow
worldwide. Biometric technologies will soon be the
common way to gain access into our personal
computer system. Recent advances in biometric
technology have resulted in increased accuracy at
reduced costs; biometric technologies are positioning
themselves as the foundation for many highly secure
identification and personal verification solutions.
Today's biometric solutions provide a means to
achieve fast, user-friendly authentication with a high
level of accuracy and cost savings. Many areas will
benefit from biometric technologies. Highly secure
and trustworthy electronic commerce, for example,
will be essential to the healthy growth of the global
Internet economy. Many biometric technology
providers are already delivering biometric Leonard Flom, Aran Safir: Iris recognition system.
authentication for a variety of web-based and  John Daugman: Biometric personal
client/server based applications to meet these and identification system based on iris analysis.
other needs. Continued improvements in technology  www.biovericom.com
will bring increased performance at a lower cost.  http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki
Interest in biometrics is growing substantially.
 http:/et.wcu.edu/aidc/biowebpages/biometricr
Evidence of the growing acceptance of biometrics is
eferences.html
the availability in the marketplace of biometric-based
authentication solutions that are becoming more
accurate, less expensive, faster and easy to use.

REFERENCES: