Biometric characteristics are biological traits unique to each individual and were initially used to verify identities by law enforcement & police departments to recognize potential victims. But nowadays, biometrics are employed by various sectors globally to verify genuine individuals and head off fabricated or spoofed attempts. The eyes are the most noticeable feature of the human face, which has discovered potential applications in ID verification. Interestingly, iris recognition is being deployed by numerous industries due to its astonishing application. Let’s explore how this advanced feature is making its roots in the IDV industry.
An Inside Look at Iris Recognition
Iris recognition is a biometric security feature integrated into advanced authentication systems to accurately verify the claimed identity by analyzing iris patterns. Iris, a round-shaped, colored portion of the eye surrounding the pupil of the eye, is unique to each individual. Even two identical twins have distinctive iris patterns. Iris recognition technology comes forth as a beacon of security in the world of cyber threats and spoofed identities.
Multiple sectors globally including ID verification, law enforcement, healthcare, corporate entities, and financial institutions aim to employ iris identification in their systems to ensure precise verification. This sophisticated and advanced technology authenticates individuals in a few seconds and improves user experience as they are no longer required to remember passwords or present physical documents.
A Journey of Iris Recognition Revolution
The idea of using iris patterns for accurate and precise identification isn’t something new, its roots can be traced to 1936 when ophthalmologist Frank Burch stressed employing iris detection for ID verification. Due to technological limitations, the idea wasn’t developed then. However a few years later, Joh Duagman, a professor at Cambridge University, successfully developed an iris detection algorithm in 1987 to verify individual identities.
Iris recognition technology is an advanced and sophisticated technology efficient in authenticating individuals by matching the iris patterns of the claimed identity against the available dataset to present accurate results. In addition, in 1994, an international engineering firm made iris recognition technology publicly available for enhanced authentication.
Distinctive Features of Iris Identification You Must Know
Iris recognition systems are widely employed by various industries and large entities owing to their higher accuracy and remarkable efficiency. Iris patterns are referred to as accurate and highly reliable modalities to be employed in biometric authentication systems. Iris recognition technology is unique in itself due to its distinctive features which are briefly expanded on here
- Unlike other biometric traits including fingerprints or facial features which may change over time, iris patterns almost remain same throughout the life except for a few ocular diseases. This feature increases the credibility of iris scans, as it eliminates the need to continually update and recollect the latest information.
- Iris detection can be done without requiring users to come in contact with the authentication systems. This non-invasive and hygienic nature of iris identification improves user experience and enhances confidence in IDV solutions.
- Interestingly, two identical twins carry distinctive iris patterns, which indicates that any attempts to replicate or spoof iris patterns would promptly be warded off. It’s challenging to spoof or replicate iris patterns owing to their intricate nature, significantly reducing the incidents of identity fraud and unauthorized access to systems.
- Iris recognition technology uses infrared light in iris recognition software which allows identification even in low light, and at night, indicating that the technology is highly reliable to be used for accurate authentication.
- High speed and accuracy speed make iris detection highly reliable and remarkable, it minimizes a fraction of the time required to do traditional ID verification. The users are authenticated in very little time, making it reliable and efficient biometric security feature.
How Iris Recognition Technology Authenticates Individuals Accurately?
Iris identification is a reliable and secure method of biometric authentication with very little false acceptance (FAR) and false rejection rate (FRR). This biometric security feature has FAR as low as one in 1.2 million users, indicating that the likelihood of granting access to unauthorized individuals is considerably minimized. Iris recognition technology works on an automated approach and employs software algorithms & video camera technology to minutely analyze iris patterns. The iris detection technology makes use of a specialized camera coupled with visible and near-infrared light and captures high-contrast images of the intricate iris patterns of the individual.
The specialized closely identifies the intricate details in the eye including the center of the pupil, edges of the pupil and iris, eyelids, and eyelashes, driven by high-contrast images. The iris recognition software collects the captured images, analyzes the required information, and creates an iris template. The iris template is a specific code distinct to each individual and is matched against the available dataset of identities for accurate authentication.
Concluding Thoughts
Iris patterns are unique to each person, even though both eyes have distinctive iris patterns, which suggests that iris scans could offer promising applications in identity verification shortly. Undoubtedly, many industries are globally deploying iris recognition in their authentication systems, however, the sophistication of rising cyber threats urges continuous advancements and innovation.
