Bio Metrics

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The advancement of science and technology is directly proportional to the advancement of time. As we are swimming in the current of time we are gradually getting or experiencing more and more advanced form of technologies . These technologies are greatly affecting not only to the living beings but also almost all non living forms available throughout the world and making the world to change accordingly compelling the living forms to demand more and more to adapt with the changing corporate world. Here we will discuss about some form of technologies. The word biometrics has come from two Greek words Bios-life and meteron-to measure. So biometrics is the measurement of biological data.

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Biometrics is the science and technology of measuring and analyzing biological data. Biometrics is the technologies used to establish a person’s identity, accurately, reliably and safely. In IT, biometrics refers to the technologies that measure and analyze human body characteristics such as fingerprints, eye retinas and iris, voice patterns, facial reorganization.

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Biometrics is based on a very simple principle that every organism or individual existing in this world are unique. Even if in case of twins we can not say that they are exactly same. So to prove this biometrics is a useful technology . Biometrics is based on exactly that principle. First the technology registers an individual. When that individual wants to enter a system, the system needs the sample. If the sample is matched, the person user is authenticated and granted to access.

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A sensor that collects the data and converts them into a digital format. Signal processing algorithm performs quality control activities and develop the biometric template. A data storage component keeps the information that new biometrics templates will be compared to. A matching algorithm compares the new biometric templates to data in storage. A decision process uses the results from the matching algorithm to make a system level decision.

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These are biometrics which use a physical trait, such as a fingerprint, iris, hand or face for recognition.

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This involves the use of a behavior trait or pattern, such as a voice, signature or key stroke. These traits are stored in a similar way to the physiological traits except they are updated regularly to cope with the ever changing patterns in the trait.

Cognitive biometrics Cognitive biometrics is based on specific responses of the brain to stimuli which could be used to trigger a computer database search. Currently, cognitive biometrics systems are being developed to use brain response to odor stimuli, facial perception and mental performance for search at ports and high security areas.

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This is when the device/networked server hold a database of the registered users and the presented trait is authorized by searching that database to establish a match. In theory the device is asking “Do I know you?”. This method of identification is called one to many (1: N).

•The theory to this is that the device is asking “Are you who you claim to be?” By presenting an user id number or a Smartcard (containing the biometric algorithm) you announce who you claim to be. In order to prove that this id number or Smartcard belongs to you, you are asked to prove this identity by presenting the biometric trait directly to the device. You are authorized if they match. This method is called one to one (1:1). •Performance measure—concept of FRR and FAR.

MODE

HOW IT WORKS

Face Recognition

A camera captures the image of a face. Features and discrete areas of his face are analyzed.

Fingerprint scan

Converts the image of a fingerprint into a mathematical template of the print's minutiae points

Iris Recognition

A video camera shoots an image of the eye. The patterns of the iris are converted into digitized code. The code is compared with a database of iris codes.

Keystroke Dynamics The system analyses the characteristics rhythm of a person's typing.

Hand Geometry

A picture of the hand is taken and salient features are examined. These include 3D shape, length, width of fingers and shape of knuckles.

Retinal scan

User's position their eye in proximity to a retinal reader and focus their sight on an illuminated target inside the reader. An image of the retina's blood vessel pattern is saved in a file.

Voice verification

The user states a pass phrase into a microphone or telephone handset.

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What is a fingerprint? Finger skin is made of friction ridges, with pores (sweat glands). Endings -The points at which a ridge stops. Dots - Very small ridges. Bifurcation-The point at which the ridge is divided into two. Islands-- Ridges slightly longer than dots. Ponds—Empty spaces between two temporarily divergent ridges. Crossover—two ridges which cross each other. Core –The inner point where the loop starts. Deltas—these are the points at the lower left and right hand of a fingerprint

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While the overall appearances of monozygotic (identical) twins' fingerprints is often similar (a and c), they differ in the fine details (the locations of ridge starting and stopping); in addition, they are no more similar to each other than to some prints of unrelated individuals (b).

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Among all the biometric techniques, fingerprint-based identification is the oldest method which has been successfully used in numerous applications. Everyone is known to have unique, immutable fingerprints.

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The classified fingerprints are of five classes, namely, whorl, right loop, left loop, arch, and tented arch. The algorithm separates the number of ridges present in four directions (0 degree, 45 degree, 90 degree, and 135 degree) by filtering the central part of a fingerprint with a bank of Gabor filters.

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A critical step in automatic fingerprint matching is to automatically and reliably extract minutiae from the input fingerprint images. The algorithm have developed a fast fingerprint enhancement algorithm, which can adaptively improve the clarity of ridge and furrow structures of input fingerprint images based on the estimated local ridge orientation and frequency.

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Biometrics directly authenticates the person, not indirectly through a password or token. Biometrics features are difficult to steal; thereby making biometrics authentication very strong. The Biometrics feature is eminently portable, and is unlikely to be lost. Another advantage of biometrics authentication systems is user cannot forget his retina or fingerprint, while a password and username are easily forgotten.

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In Iris recognition, it is relatively expensive; requires large amount of computer storage; may not be generally accepted by public. In Voice verification Works well over the telephone but requires large amount of computer storage; people's voices can change; background noises can interfere. When the data collected from the user passes through the system, the data is not encrypted at all.

•Biometrics technology is really playing a great roll in today’s world in providing security to computers and various networks, thus creating a message of reliability among the computer systems and networks as well as for the whole corporate world.