CRJ 303 Eye Biometrics
Both the iris and the retina are biometric features of the eye used for access control purposes.
Anatomy of the eye: www.colorvisiontest.com/english/vision02.html
Manufacturers of biometric products of both types claim the biometric feature used is the most unique in the human body.
Both the iris and the retina are highly variant from one person to another (even between identical twins), are fairly stable over time and are more resistant to environmental influences than other biometrics (fingerprints suffer from scarring; hand geometry is affected by broken bones, swollen hands, etc.) Both iris and retinal vascular patterns may be affected by certain diseases of the eye most of which are fairly rare.
Retinal scanning was first introduced by EyeDentify in 1985 and used for high security applications (military security).
Iris scanning is comparatively newer with commercial units available since 1995.
Some public unease because people tend to be sensitive about protecting their eyes; systems strive to minimize this by allowing biometric capture at distances up to 1 meter away (harder for retina)
Eye biometric systems manufacturers boast the lowest FAR and FRR.
EyeDentify's Homepage: www.eyedentify.com
IriScan's Homepage: www.iriscan.com
http://www.iriscan.com/recognition.htm
http://www.iriscan.com/basis.htm
http://www.iriscan.com/question.htm
In the future:
Smart cameras: independent units capable of point-of-sale verification