Although fingerprints have emerged as the favorite biometric identifier, several other measurements have potential. Fingerprints are not the most accurate measurement and it is probable that exploration of other identifiers will continue. Listed below are other measurements and some sites with addition information.
HAND GEOMETRY -- Hand geometry is one of the leading biometric measurements because it is non-intrusive and does not have the stigmatizing factors of fingerprints. This form of identification has been popularized with the recent success of the INPASS projects at the Newark, JFK and Toronto airports. The German government has decided to focus in on the use hand geometry even though the US Immigration and Naturalization Service has been promoting the use of fingerprints as the primary medium for automated border technology. Hand geometry is also in wide use in the former Soviet Republics. Vital sites such as the Zaporozhaskaya Atomic Power Station in the Ukraine and at the First City bank in Moscow. (Biometric Technology Today Sept 1996, vol. 4 pages 3-4)
Recognition Systems' ID3D
SUBCUTANEOUS VASCULAR NETWORK (veins) -- A very accurate and non-intrusive measurement. Functions through a camera that focuses on blood vessels in the back of the hand. A infra-red light illuminates the hand while a camera, using an infra-red filter captures the image of the blood vessels. Veins absorb the infra-red light and generate a darker image. The vein-tree is digitized and stored as a unique template which can later be checked. The EU recently initiated a large two year project in France, Ireland, and the UK. (Rathbone, Neil, EU Veincheck -Project Takes Off, Biometric Technology Today, 1996, vol.4)
Veincheck
IRIS RECOGNITION -- The biomedical community asserts that the iris is as distinct as the fingerprint and retinal blood vessel patterns. In addition because of the overt shape of the iris, it is "amenable to remote examination" by biometric measurement systems. This non-invasive verification has proven to be nearly flawless in tests. (Wildes, R.P. et al, A Machine Vision for Iris Recognition, Machine Vision and Applications, 1996, vol.9)
IriScan
Sensar
VOICEPRINTS -- This technology has been in wide use by the telephone companies as caller verification system for voice mail. However advances in technology enabling voice verification to be used in conjunction with some facial identifications such as movement of the lips have augmented this inexpensive identification. This combination has resulted in increased accuracy. Tests have observed 8% to 14% rejection rates using voiceprints only. A rejection rate of 0% was observed using both technologies. (Wagner, T. and Diekmana, U, Sensor-Fusion for Robust Identification of Persons: a field test, IEEE Comput. Soc. Press, 1995, vol.3)
BI Voice Verification
Brite Voice Systems
ImagineNation's Vault
INTELITRAK's Voice Verification Gateway for WWW Servers
FINGERPRINTS
Fingerprint Capture Devices, CBD, 17 May 1996, PSA#1597
Concept Of Operations for IAI Cross-Jurisdictional Use of AFIS Systems (V2.1)
A Final Report from the July 25, 1996 Panel on Cross-Jurisdictional Use of AFIS Systems
Standards for the Electronic Submission of Fingerprint Cards to the FBI
The FBI Fingerprint Image Compression Standard
An Introduction to Wavelets: FBI Fingerprint Compression
SOME RELATED SITES
Biometric Consortium
American National Standards Institute
Julian Ashbourn's Technology Corner
Commercial Biometrics Developer's Consortium (CBDC)