BIOMETRICS: A Technology Whose Time Has Come

In the US last year a number of biometrics projects were undertaken to assess
the feasibility of implementing this technology on a large scale. One oft-quoted
example is the US immigration Department's decision to fingerprint all
immigrants who stream into the US. The implementation started on pilot scale
last year. This year the implementation went full-fledged with the US directing
its consulates across the world to capture fingerprints at the time of issue of
visa.

WHAT IS BIOMETRICS?

Biometrics is the science of identifying a person using some unique physical
characteristics. These characteristics could be fingerprint, voice, retina/iris,
hand geometry and face. It has been statistically proven that there cannot be
two human beings with matching above physical characteristics. Of these,
fingerprint is found to be the most convenient and over 98 per cent accurate.

Fingerprints are being used for recognition of individuals across a wide
range of applications. Basic access control systems to sensitive installations
have been using fingerprint-based systems for the past few decades. In many
cases, these systems have been upgraded to include iris / face recognition
systems. These can be seen in some of the world's popular defence
installations.

At the grassroot level, fingerprint recognition systems are being used to
provide access to notebook computers, recording time and attendance in
companies/factories, trading on the internet etc. Recently, fingerprint based
systems have been implemented for crowd control at Tirumala, one of the
most-visited Hindu shrines in India.

Apart from fingerprint-based systems, voice recognition and facial
recognition systems being used in some places across the world are Iris or
Retina recognition systems. Recent research has identified the "gait"
of a person also as a unique characteristic. A person's style of movement is
now being considered to be a signature of the person. Using a radar (which can
see through clothes to identify the real "gait") gives the added
advantage of estimating the distance of the person from the reader.

APPLICATIONS

Some of the hi-profile projects using biometric technologies worldwide are
those being used for immigration control in Singapore/Malaysia. USA has made it
mandatory for all non-residents who enter the country to get their fingerprints
recorded at the time of issue of VISA. Some other projects involving facial
recognition and "gait" identification technologies are being used to
keep track of terrorists or criminals.

In India, large scale implementation of biometrics is under consideration on
many projects. Some of them include the national identity card program. Issue of
ration cards in the state of Kerala requires registration and verification of
fingerprints. SEBI is considering registration of fingerprints of retail and
private investors. Various state governments across the country have started
using fingerprint-based systems for access control and recording attendance in
government offices.

Frost & Sullivan was the first organization to estimate the size of the
market - the worldwide market varies from $1 bn -

$100 bn. The estimates for the Indian market have been fairly small with the
latest studies indicating a size of $4 million currently. Though the adoption of
this technology has been slow and cautious over the past couple of years, the
growth is expected to be fairly steep. Large scale implementation of the
technology is being considered in many disciplines. However, the real figures
are likely to be realized when these projects become full-blown.

BOTTLENECKS

Privacy and cost seem to have been the biggest hindrances in widespread use
of this technology. Issues of invasion of privacy have gained ground especially
in developed countries like USA. Many user groups are advocating strongly
against the use the technology since it involves personal information of
individuals. However, lack of alternatives is pushing the technology forward.

In terms of costs, the technology has slowly seen cost reduction over the
past few years. Plain fingerprint scanners which used to cost around $700 a
piece are now available around $150-$300. This is primarily due to increasing
use of scanners in gadgets like mobile phones, keyboards and mice. In India too,
scanning devices which used to cost over Rs 2 lakh five years back, are now
available at less than Rs 20,000. Newer uses of biometrics include using
fingertips as a car key, voice to unlock the door to one's home and eyes to
access sensitive data.

FOR SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Solution providers in this space need to focus on specific technologies from
the wide range of biometric technologies available. Each area provides in itself
a vast scope for improvement and niche players in the field shall command
premium over many other "also ran" players who are currently providing
solutions. Solution providers who focus on say facial recognition systems can
address complex requirements tailor-made to highly sensitive environments such
as defense.

Focusing on specific areas will also bring down the cost of implementation -
the biggest hindrance to widespread implementation of biometrics at this point
of time. The costs will go down as more efforts are focused on improvement and
cost reduction in the manufacturing and development of solutions. Developing a
specialized knowledge base will provide improved opportunities to the solution
provider in disseminating knowledge and increasing the user base for the
solutions. The fact of the matter remains that you need to go for it and be at
it - biometrics is here to stay.

Sudhir Rao is MD
of Hyderabad-based Bartronics India.