Eye Biometrics
Iris Iris is one of the newer biometric modalities, but one which is rapidly gaining a foothold due to its very high accuracy and increasing ease of use. Iris technology uses infrared cameras to capture the unique patterns of the eye. Those patterns are then converted into a template which is used for matching.
Advantages of iris as a biometric:
- The most accurate biometric for automated matching, with match rates approaching 100%
- Ease and speed of capture, which is usually as simple as looking briefly into a camera
- Rapidly advancing technology can now correct for various lighting conditions, glasses, and contact lenses
- Increasing numbers of records in law enforcement databases increase the possibility of a match
- Law enforcement
- Border management and travel security
- Health Care
- Cybersecurity
- Physical access
- Defense and Counter-Terrorism
Sclera Sclera-based biometrics, also known as Eyeprints, are also highly accurate and easy to use. Unlike iris cameras, Eyeprint technology uses regular visible light to image the unique patterns of the blood vessels in the whites of the eye. Those images are then converted into a high entropy encryption key.
Advantages of the sclera as a biometric:
Extremely high accuracy rates
Software uses existing cameras, eliminating the need for special hardware or new infrastructure
Common applications of sclera as a biometric modality:
Retina Retina scanning has been around since the 1980s, but is more limited in its application due to the expense of the equipment required and a relatively complicated enrollment process. Retina-based technologies are primarily used for access control in high security environments. Retinal scanners use infrared light to image the patterns of the blood vessels in the retinal tissue inside the eye.
Advantages:
Highly accurate
Difficult to spoof
Common applications of retina as a biometric modality:
