comparisons

This page draws together information from the preceding discussion of biometrics, offering a comparison of the major technologies.

    interaction

Interaction	Strength	Weakness
retina scan contact: subject looks into device and focuses on point - infrared light scans retina	. accuracy	. consumer anxiety about eye damage
iris scan remote: subject looks at camera	. accuracy	. consumer anxiety about eye damage
face geometry remote: camera looks at subject
face thermogram remote: camera looks at subject
earlobe remote: subject looks at camera
fingerprint contact: subject places thumb or fingers on reader	. accuracy . familiarity . infrastructure exists . recognised by courts	. association with criminal investigation
palmprint contact: subject places palm on reader
hand geometry contact: subject places palm on reader
signature contact: subject writes signature using digital pad/pen
keystroke contact: subject uses keypad or keyboard
voice remote: subject speaks into microphone or phone	. commercial implementation
DNA contact: subject supplies hair, tissue, blood	. accuracy	. cost of processing . processing time
scent etc remote: subject is sniffed etc		. not recognised by courts . easily subverted . no major commercial implementation
gait remote: camera looks at subject		. no major commercial implementation . not recognised by courts
lip movement remote: camera looks at subject		. no major commercial implementation

    implementation

Technology	Application	Circumvention
retina scan	. software available
iris scan	. software available
face geometry	. software available	.
face thermogram		. poor results in environments with high ambient room temperature
earlobe		. problems with obscuring ear (eg long hair) or modification (eg surgery)
fingerprint	. software available . hardware available . extensive experience
palmprint	. software available . hardware available
hand geometry
signature
keystroke	. software available
voice	. software available
DNA	. hardware expensive
scent etc	. hardware unavailable	. easily subverted through diet, perfume, illness etc
gait	. potential use with CCTV in streets, airports etc	. spoofing via use of weights to alter gait . image capture in crowds may be difficult
lip movement

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