• Brazilian police get biometric "Robocop" glasses

    Facial-recognition glasses have been deployed by Brazilian police ahead of the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament; the system can scan and compare four hundred faces per second using 46,000 biometric points for comparison; the technology will be tested at public events leading up to the World Cup

  • FBI's Next Generation Identification launched

    The FBI has launched its futuristic database — the Next Generation Identification (NGI) system); NGI will gradually replace the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS); this phase of the NGI project involves the core biometric processing and matching capability using ten fingerprints

  • New York proposes biometric IDs to combat Medicaid fraud

    New York lawmakers are currently considering a bill that is aimed at reducing Medicaid fraud by requiring all patients to carry biometric ID cards; under the proposed law all Medicaid recipients would receive a special card that contains their biometric data from a palm scan that must be presented to receive service; installing the card readers and issuing the identity cards would cost an estimated $20 million, but could result in as much as a $5 billion reduction in Medicaid fraud each year; the legislation could set off a debate about privacy concerns

  • New method for lifting latent fingerprints

    A team of researchers at Nanjing University of Technology has developed a new process for especially rapid and simple detection of fingerprints; all it takes is a special nanofiber mat that is pressed onto the suspect surface and briefly treated with hot air — the fingerprints appear as red ridge patterns

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  • Iris recognition on the go

    Hoyos showed its iris-recognition-on-the-go solution at ISC West last week; most iris recognition solution require the persons to be identified to stand still and stare into a panel for a couple of seconds; the Hoyos solution allows people, after the initial enrollment, to just walk through a gate or a door; the iris scanner is mounted at the top of the frame, and it can recognize up to fifty individuals a minute as they walk through; individuals wearing glasses enroll without their glasses on, but once enrolled, they can walk through the door with their glasses on without disrupting the system’s recognition process

  • Anti-counterfeiting solution maker expands scientific teams

    According to a 2011 report published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), global counterfeiting losses are forecasted to grow to as high as $1.7 trillion by 2017; the economic impact of this on the U.S. economy alone is estimated to be $775 billion per year; there is thus a growing demand for anti-counterfeiting solutions, including SigNature® DNA from Applied DNA Sciences; the company is expanding its forensic scientific group

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  • Researchers developing biometric intent scanners

    Researchers with the Canadian defense department are currently exploring how to analyze an individual’s hostile intent to intercept them before they commit a hostile act; researchers with the Canadian Defense Research and Development aim to push biometric identification to a new level where scanning technology can actually read peoples’ minds; researchers are hoping to use the “biometrics of intent” to distinguish if an individual who appears nervous and is pacing at an airport is simply anxious or actually dangerous; scientists say the goal is difficult, but not impossible; they are still far from achieving their goals and research is in its early phases

  • Identical twins -- the ultimate test for biometrics

    Researchers recently concluded that facial biometric technologies were not accurate enough to distinguish between pairs of identical twins; researchers took photos of over 126 pairs of identical twins in a variety of conditions of varying quality to provide different test conditions for biometric scanners; the photos were tested against three of the highest performing facial recognition and found that under real world circumstances the systems could not accurately distinguish twins; researchers recommend calibrating facial recognition algorithms to analyze minute facial characteristics as well as high-resolution photos to increase accuracy

  • Biometric industry becomes increasingly consolidated

    As the biometrics market continues to expand, larger firms have begun to acquire smaller companies that are developing cutting edge technology; analysts believe that the industry will become increasingly consolidated in the next three to five years; several key biometrics firms were recently acquired in major deals; L-1 Identity Solutions was acquired by Safran, Cogent Systems was bought by 3M, and ActivIdentity announced that it would become a part of Assa Abloy

  • Tightening airport ID screening loopholes

    Last month a wanted murderer escaped authorities by boarding an international flight with a shoddy fake ID revealing a continuing weakness of airport security; despite being significantly older and bearing little resemblance to the man in the photo, security screeners at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport waived him through; TSA screeners have limited tools at their disposal to verify an individual’s documents and largely rely on a magnifying glass, a blacklight, and their eyes; critics propose implementing a biometric system to verify a passengers identity to prevent terrorists from using forged documents to enter the country

  • VoiceVault releases new version of its voice biometric software

    VoiceVault recently announced the launch of VoiceVault Fusion, the upgraded version of its core product; VoiceVault Fusion now relies on two separate verification engines that operate symbiotically to identify an individual over the telephone, web, or on tablets and smartphones; the new version features increased accuracy, multiple verification methods, and is easier to install and integrate

  • States continue to fight REAL ID

    The battle against the REAL ID act rages on as states continue to oppose implementing REAL ID standards; under the law states would have to remake their driver’s licenses, restructure their computer systems, and create new intra-state data sharing networks; nearly half of the states in the country have enacted anti-Real ID bills including Maine, Alaska, South Carolina, Arizona, and Oklahoma; DHS issued its third reprieve giving states an additional twenty-one months to observe the law; the National Governors Association welcomed the decision; with the recent economic downturn and many states facing budget shortfalls, many states are struggling with the costs of implementing REAL ID standards

  • Biometric ATMs appearing in Poland, U.S. lags far behind

    More banks around the world are installing biometric ATMs that use finger vein scanning technology to authenticate a customer’s identity before they can withdraw cash; unlike current fingerprint scanners, the finger vein scanner uses infrared light to analyze the micro veins beneath the surface of the finger; banks around the world including Japan, Mexico, and Africa have begun installing these new ATMs, but they have yet to appear in the United States; critics worry that the ATMs are too invasive and a study last year found that 50 percent of Europeans would not use them; banks in the United States lack the financial incentive to install these devices

  • Marines integrate biometrics on battlefield

    The U.S. Marine Corps is beginning to implement biometric technologies to help them identify insurgents on the battlefield; members of the III Marine Expeditionary Force in Japan are undergoing training to learn how to gather biometric data; in particular, troops are looking for fingerprints from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to help capture bomb makers; the prints are stored in a database that will soon be shared with DHS border agents to assist with counter-terrorism efforts within the United States; border agents will be able to determine if people entering the country match any of the insurgents identified abroad

  • FBI upgrades fingerprint system

    The FBI recently upgraded its fingerprint scanning system to include faster and more sophisticated technology; the old system could take as much as two hours to match fingerprints, while the new technology can provide results in ten to fifteen minutes; the new system is also more accurate and comes as part of the FBI’s broader technology initiative, which it calls Next Generation Identification (NGI); the next phase of NGI is set to be completed by 2014 and will incorporate latent palm prints and facial recognition technology