Biometrics utilize physical features such as fingerprints, irises, and faces for security systems, but there are many challenges to address, including information theft and privacy issues. With the introduction of multiple biometrics and the combination of artificial intelligence, efforts are underway to make the technology more reliable and secure.
In the movie Minority Report, set in a fictionalized future, we see scenes where people are identified through eye recognition at the entrances of important buildings. The technology needed to make these scenes a reality is biometrics. Biometrics is a technology that uses the physical characteristics of an individual, such as retina, fingerprint, voice, and face, to identify them for security systems. Biometrics must be universal in that it must utilize characteristics that everyone has. Biometrics must also have unique characteristics that distinguish each individual. Finally, the biometric must be permanently unchanging.
Fingerprinting and iris recognition are two examples of biometrics that fulfill all of these requirements. Fingerprint recognition is currently the most commercialized biometric technology, thanks to its low cost and miniaturization potential, as it can be easily found on building entrances and smartphone locks. Fingerprint recognition is characterized by the overall shape of the fingerprint, such as arcs, rings, and swirls, which can be used to distinguish between individuals. There are also regional features, such as where and in which direction the fingerprint diverges. The basic principle is to scan these features and compare their coordinates with existing data, which can be done using either semiconductor or optical principles. The semiconductor principle uses a pressure sensor to recognize a fingerprint based on the location and intensity of the pressure the sensor detects. In the case of the optical principle, an optical sensor is used to recognize the fingerprint pattern from the image of the fingerprint.
Iris patterns can also be used in biometrics because, like fingerprints, they are established after 18 months of age and remain unchanged throughout life. In addition, iris patterns are much less prone to error than fingerprints because they are more varied in number, and they can be recognized through a camera without direct contact with the body part. To recognize the iris, the iris area is first separated by finding the boundary between the pupil and the iris, which is subject to changes in color and contrast, and the sclera, which surrounds the outside of the iris. The boundary is then coordinated and binarized into 0 and 1 numbers. This binarized code sequence is then compared to the previously entered data to verify the identity, similar to fingerprint recognition. Iris recognition technology is mainly used in high-security locations and is becoming increasingly important in financial institutions and military installations. This has led to a lot of research and development, and new algorithms are constantly being developed to enable faster and more accurate recognition.
There are a variety of other biometric technologies, such as facial recognition and vein recognition, with a wide range of applications. Typical examples include access control systems and financial transactions. Fingerprint door locks are already a natural part of our daily lives, and fingerprint and facial recognition are also used in automated immigration systems at international airports. Financial transactions are another area where biometrics are expected to shine in the future. If a system that recognizes a person’s fingerprint or iris instead of a physical credit card is introduced, it will prevent someone from using their credit card or forgetting their password. Especially with the rapid spread of e-commerce, online security is becoming increasingly important. Biometrics has emerged as an important key to solving this problem, and its research and applications in the financial sector are expected to expand.
Biometrics can be useful in many other areas, but there are some things that need to be addressed. First, there is the concern of biometric theft. If a password or credit card is stolen, it can be replaced, but biometric information is irreversible because it cannot be changed. In other words, the permanence of biometric information can become its greatest weakness. There are also human rights and privacy concerns. It is argued that information about a person’s body, such as their face and fingerprints, can be used electronically to monitor and record their daily lives. These concerns, especially when coupled with voices that warn of a shift to a surveillance society, could hinder the development of biometrics.
Other concerns include damage to the body part used for recognition and malfunctioning of the device due to external circumstances. For example, if a fingerprint or iris is damaged in an accident, it may be difficult to recognize it with a traditional biometric system. In such a situation, an alternative method is needed, which requires technological improvements and complements. This is where multi-biometric technology comes into play. To compensate for problems such as physical damage or biometric theft, multibiometric technologies have emerged that link two or more different biometric systems. This increases the safety and reliability of the system and overcomes the limitations of a single technology. In addition, if social issues such as human rights and privacy are also addressed, biometrics will have a wider range of applications as technology advances. In particular, the development of biometrics in combination with artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to provide a new security paradigm.
