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Voice biometrics gaining a foot hold
Philips and PerSay combine encryption software with technology that manages users’ “voiceprints” and speech verification; both potential customers and privacy advocates say they like it
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Beyond fingerprinting: Alternative biometric technologies advance
As more organizations turn to biometric technology to help them perform their missions, they show interest in a variety of technologies — vein architecture, retinal scan, facial recognition, and more; these are good times for innovative biometric companies
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Biometrics help soldiers in Iraq
Biometric readers connected to databases allow soldiers in Iraq quickly to identify suspects at check points and those arrested during night raids
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Biometric-at-a-distance is not here yet
For four years, the government has poured a lot of money on long-distance surveillance systems which would identify individuals from a distance in a crowd; the technology is not here yet
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Voice biometrics gaining acceptance
Banks are interested in applying voice biometrics to Internet banking; voice profile eliminates the need for remembering identifiers such as PINs, passwords, mother’s maiden name, or for having special equipment such as PIN pads or fobs
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Coast Guard, US-VISIT expands biometrics-at-sea to Florida Straits
Since the program began in November 2006, the Coast Guard has collected biometric data from 1,526 migrants and prosecuted 118 of those migrants; program was tested in the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and judged successful, is now being expanded to the Florida Straits
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Face reading software
Spanish researchers develop algorithm capable of reading facial expressions from video images; by applying the algorithm, the system is capable of processing thirty images per second to recognize a person’s facial expressions in real time before categorizing them as expressing anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, or surprise
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Bankrupt Pay By Touch to auction off its assets
Pay by Touch came to market with a big splash; its system was installed in more than 700 U.S. retail locations; its biometrics and personalized marketing businesses, however, lost $137 million last year on only $600,000 in revenue; it sought buyers, but there were no satisfactory offers, so it is planning to auction off its assets
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Experts: By 2015 biometrics would do away with long lines at airports
The future of airport security checks: Automated gates would confirm an individual’s identity using biometrics before checking their biographic data for any updates in their security/legal/journey status against various databases
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Integrating smart cards with biometrics a growing market
The market for integrated smart cards and biometric products earned $249.1 million in 2007 and is expected to reach $822.2 million by 2013; market driven by growing interest in national biometric IDs; market grew in 2006 by 55.2 percent, despite many of the national ID projects not operating at full scale
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Florida airports will require 10 fingerprints from foreign visitors
To beef up efforts to catch terrorists and criminals, DHS starts new program in Florida airports — program which requires all foreign visitors to have all ten fingers electronically printed
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Australian biometrics software developer finds success in U.K.
Aussie biometric company finds success in the United Kingdom, with recent order from Wales bringing to company’s U.K. orders to more than $1 million; company still awaits similar recognition at home in Australia
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Reconstructing 3D face from a single 2D image
Researchers develop software to make the 3D reconstruction of a face from a single 2D image faster and more accurate; this will be especially useful for recovering 3D shapes when there is only one image to work from, such as an image from a CCTV camera
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Digitus Biometrics shows networked access control solution
Georgia-based biometric specialist shows a networked version of its stand-alone fingerprint access control system; the new version adds encrypted TCP/IP communications, enabling security administrators to control Digitus units anywhere in the world from a single location
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More schools turn to biometrics
Many parents object to their children being fingeprinted in school — the fingerprints are used to identify students in the cafeteria, library, and even to take attendance in class — and there is the question of cost, but school administrators see many benefits in installing biometric systems
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