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Biometrics sales to increase
Friday, September 28 2001
by Andrew McLindon


Biometrics could be about to cast off its space-age image and become an
increasingly important security tool in the wake of the terrorist attacks in the
US.

Companies involved in biometrics, which is the science of measuring physical
characteristics such as a fingerprint or an iris pattern to recognise a person,
have seen interest in their products increase markedly since the suicide
bombings. 



In fact the IBIA (International Biometric Industry Association) released a
statement following the attacks, saying that while the technology may not have
been able to stop such a coordinated assault from taking place in its current
state of development, there remain prospects for the future. "It would be
equally inaccurate to underestimate the pivotal role biometrics will most
certainly play in the construction of an effective international security
program," the organisation said. 





According to Richard Norton, executive director of the association, IBIA has had
to revise its projections for industry sales this year. Sales were expected to
increase to USD170 million in 2001 from USD21million in 1996. In an interview
with Bloomberg he said the group would be looking at those figures again because
of the interest from government agencies and businesses in the sector since the
attacks. 





One company that has already seen calls from clients and prospective customers
jump in the last two weeks is EyeTicket. The US company provides electronic
devices that scan eyes and then determines whether the person is who they say
they are. 





Its main product, EyePass, has been on trial in Charlotte/Douglas International
Airport in North Carolina for over a year and such was its success that the US
Senate and House of Representatives voted in June to give the airport USD2.75
million to complete its installation. 





EyePass works by scanning an employee's iris and comparing it with a picture of
the iris stored in a computer. If they match, the person can enter two restricted
areas they are allowed access to. EyeTicket said that it has had a 100 percent
accuracy rate and there have been no security breaches. The company also added
that its products could not be by-passed by using contact lenses or a detached
eyeball. 





Iris recognition technology works by identifying people by the unique patterns of
the iris -- the coloured ring around the pupil of the eye. Iris recognition
technology examines more than 240 degrees of freedom in the human iris to create
the patented "IrisCode" record, a 512-byte data template used to identify
individuals and authenticate user privileges. According to EyeTicket, iris
recognition technology is the most accurate, scalable, stable, fast and
non-invasive biometric technology in the world. 



However, whether iris recognition becomes the main use of biometrics for security
purposes remains to be seen. According to Cahners In-Stat Group, while eye
scanning is being used in more mainstream applications such as ATMs, facial
scanning may usurp it. 



"From a consumer standpoint, facial scan is viewed as less intrusive; as a
result, facial scan will be the preferred technology," said Marlene Bourne,
senior analyst for In-Stat's Emerging Semiconductor Applications Service. 





Iceland Airport has already announced that it will be among the first airports in
the world to using face scanning technology to screen passengers. Face scanning
works by identifying the 80 so-called landmarks on the human face, including the
bridge and tip of the nose as well as the size of the mouth and eyes.
Furthermore, the technology can identify a face with only 20 of those
characteristics, making fake beards and wigs ineffective disguises. 



For more information visit 
http://www.ibia.org/ or 
http://www.eyeticket.com/