• Biometrics for mobile phone market to grow 500 percent by 2015

    A recently released report projects that the market for biometric security devices on mobile phones will reach $161 million by 2015, an increase of $30 million; the analysis found that embedded fingerprint sensors in mobile phones will primarily drive growth in this market as more firms seek additional security measures for mobile phones; voice biometrics is also expected to be another large driver of growth

  • Brazilian bank explores online biometric ID

    Bradesco, one of Brazil’s largest banking and insurance companies, is studying if it can identify account holders online using biometrics to ensure the safest transactions possible; the bank is currently working with Fujitsu to develop a device that is capable of identifying customers at home; the bank currently uses Fujitsu’s PalmSecure biometric palm reader in its ATMs

  • Malaysia's biometric failure

    A malfunction in Malaysia’s biometric fingerprint system at its international railway station could have major implications as other countries expand the use of biometrics at ports of entry; last Saturday travelers were infuriated after they were forced to wait nearly an hour and a half to pass through Malaysia’s immigration checkpoints; many tourists had to change or cancel their holiday travel plans all together; the delays came at the height of Malaysia’s tourist season, resulting in sharp criticism from the tourist industry

  • Biometric CCTV market to hit $3.2 billion in 2016

    Analysts project that the biometric CCTV market will be a $3.2 billion industry by 2016, with an annual growth rate of 33 percent; the security camera industry has already seen rapid growth as the private and public sector have installed surveillance systems to help combat crime and provide real-time information; over the next decade, analysts from the Homeland Security Research Corporation (HSRC) project that the next trend in this field will be the increasing integration of biometric technology into surveillance cameras; HSRC’s report projects that these technological developments will help drive the CCTV market and create significant growth opportunities for the security camera industry, biometric and IT systems manufacturers, and security systems integrators

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  • Researchers unveil biometric walk scanner

    Researchers from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom recently unveiled new biometric technology that is capable of identifying individuals by the way they walk; a professor in computer vision at the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, and two PhD students have developed a system that can recognize a person by their gait with over 90 percent accuracy; individuals walking through a “biometric tunnel” were recorded on twelve cameras to create a unique signature that can be used to identify them later; researchers tried to fool the system by wearing different clothes, obscuring their faces with hats and motorcycle helmets, but the biometric system prevailed

  • Gait biometrics still walking the walk

    Research on gait biometrics at the University of Southampton, a pioneer in researching this biometric technology, has passed another landmark with the first public demonstration of the technology’s ability to withstand deliberate spooking; the technology is being perfected at the university’s Biometric Tunnel, in which data from twelve cameras is combined and processes to produce an individual “signature” of a person’s walk that is unique and recognizable with over 90 percent accuracy

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  • Portable iPod Touch fingerprint scanner launched

    IPod Touch users can now turn their devices into a portable fingerprint scanner; last week, Fulcrum Biometrics unveiled its new FbF mobileOne biometric fingerprint reader and software for the iPod touch; using the Touch’s standard dock connector, the mobileOne device can scan and match fingerprints on the iPod or send it wirelessly to a remote server for authentication

  • Arizona police deploy iris scanners and facial biometrics to identify inmates

    Local police departments in Arizona have begun using facial biometrics and iris scanning technology to identify inmates and registered sex offenders; officers with the Pinal County Sheriff’s department have entered roughly 1,500 inmates and 700 sex offenders into a national database to better identify, register, and track inmates; the scans come as part of a broader effort led by the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) and the U.S. Justice Department; beginning in 2009, the Justice Department awarded $500,000 to help roughly forty-five law enforcement agencies throughout the United States to purchase iris scanners from BI2 Technologies

  • Morpho's fingerprint algorithms win

    Morpho (Safran group) the other day announced that its fingerprint recognition algorithms have been ranked number one in the two most recent National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) MINEX II (Match-on-Card) and Ongoing MINEX revaluations; the company says its algorithms excelled in both accuracy and interoperability under all conditions

  • Biometric wallet keeps your money safe

    Luxury goods maker Dunhill has designed a “virtually indestructible” wallet that uses a biometric fingerprint scanner to deter muggers and pickpockets; the wallet will only open when the owner’s fingerprint is verified using a scanner similar to those currently on many laptops; additional security features include a Bluetooth sensor that can be synced to any Bluetooth enabled mobile device; when the wallet is more than fifteen feet away from the mobile device, it will sound an alarm alerting the owner that the wallet has been taken away

  • A first: biometrics used to sentence criminal

    A judge ruled that biometric facial recognition could be submitted as evidence marking the first time such evidence has been used in a criminal trial; this move surprised many legal and scientific experts as facial recognition technology does not follow basic legal standards required for evidence; the decision may or not become a legal precedent as it was not made by a California appellate or supreme court

  • Nuance launches new voice biometric software, expands capabilities

    Last week Nuance Communications launched new versions of its VocalPassword and FreeSpeech programs; drawing on the technological expertise of PerSay, a voice biometrics company that it recently acquired, these programs feature increased accuracy, greater security, and better identity theft protection; Nuance is one of the world’s largest biometrics company with a market cap of nearly $5.5 billion

  • Algorithm can turn 2D images into 3D biometrics

    Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have developed a way to construct 3-dimensional faces from flat 2-dimensional images; the computer algorithm analyzes an image and constructs a 3-dimensional model based on viewing angle and illumination; using this technique computers can more accurately identify individuals as computers often have a hard time distinguishing between individuals with flat images; this algorithm can also be used to identify criminals caught on security camera

  • Four biometric identification tools combined in a single system

    A Lithuania-based company recently announced the release of its latest software that integrates fingerprint, iris, facial, and palm print biometrics into a single system; the combination of multiple biometric analysis tools in a single software helps to identify individuals faster and increases reliability beyond the use of just fingerprint analysis or iris scanners alone

  • Biometrics market expected to hit $12 billion in 2015

    A new report estimates that the global biometrics market will hit $12 billion by 2015; the market is currently valued at $5 billion; fingerprint identification technology will see the biggest gains growing to $6 billion by 2015; the market for face, iris, vein, and voice recognition will expand to $3.5 billion; large government ID and security programs are key drivers in fueling growth