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2.1.3.4 Biometric Technology
Different kinds of biometric technology have been used, for authentication. Current
biometric technologies include fingerprint,
hand
geometry,
voice
recognition,
facial
recognition,
iris recognition, retina-scan, signature, and keystroke dynamics.
Fingerprints
Fingerprints method uses the pattern on the finger which is made up by the ridges on the
finger
skin.
The
biometric
data
then
converted
into
a
template
in
which ridges are
represented by points and points corresponding to closest ridges which are connected.
Each point has a number approximating the length of the corresponding ridge. The
template
generated
from
fingerprint
may
have
different
numbers
of
edges
and
points.
Thus, the matching algorithm is an approximation [4].
Major
factors
that
affect
the
performance
of
fingerprint
technology
are
the
user
fingerprint quality and the environment in which the finger image is being submitted.
Some
conditions which cause the fingerprint technology work improperly are cold
finger, dry / oily
finger,
high or
low
moisture, angle of placement, poorly placed
finger
on platen, cuts to fingerprint, physical activity that would affect fingerprint [10].
Numerous vendors produce
hardware
and
software
for
fingerprint
authentication,
including: American Biometric, AuthenTec, Biometric Access, Compaq, CrossCheck,
DigitalPersona, Identix, Informer Systems, Mytec Technologies, and Sony [2].
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