Biometric Sensors

These fingerprint sensors perform two major modes: identification and verification.

• The identification mode uses the biometric system to identify an individual from a pooled group. It searches through a set of database and matches it with the biometrics. If you want an answer to “Who am I?”, the identification mode is the best option for identifying a person.
• The verification mode is used to verify an individual’s identity according to previously entered biometrics. The question that this operation answers is “Am I who I claim to be?”.

Biometrics has been used for more than a thousand years. In fact, in 500 BC, non-automated biometrics were already in use as shown in clay tablets that carried fingerprints. In the 1960s, the Indentimat was created by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to check fingerprints and manage criminal records. It became the precedent for the modern biometric devices currently in use today.

Components

Biometric sensors have three components: enrollment, testing/matching, and decision-making.

• In the enrollment stage, the sensor captures biometric trait images (i.e. the fingerprint, iris, or face). These images then go through mathematical algorithms and enrolled into the system.
• In the testing/matching stage, the enrolled images are tested or matched with the images that are already in the database.
• The last stage is for decision-making. This is when it is determined if the individual is verified or not.

Types

There are many types of biometric sensors, but the popular ones are:

• Fingerprint
• Iris recognition
• Face recognition
• Voice/speech recognition
• Signature verification
• Hand geometry