Biometrics

I pulled this article off of CNN. The non-invasive iris reader
is particularly interesting. I assume all this stuff is based on
neural nets.

(IDG) -- With the ever-increasing need for security, many companies
are turning to biometrics as a way to protect against the potential
security breaches common with passwords, which can be easily stolen,
lost or forgotten.

Biometrics use bodily characteristics such as fingerprints or a
person's eye for identification.

But here at the annual Comdex show, LCI Technology Group N.V. offers
a biometric solution with a twist.

The company's Smartpen device -- a minicomputer that functions as a
regular ball point pen -- recognizes handwritten signatures. To solve
the problem of forgery, special sensors in Smartpen measure how a
person writes his or her signature, including the force applied to
the paper, the acceleration of the pen and the angle at which it is
held.

"This product is the missing link in the security loop," said Sam
Asseer, chairman and chief executive officer of LCI Technology Group.

IriScan Inc. uses the iris, the colored portion of the eye, to
identify individuals. Everyone's iris is unique, and a person's left
and right irises are not even similar. IriScan's authentication
system creates a mathematical code derived from the iris' unique
patterns.

Unlike other companies use of biometric iris readers, the IriScan
system is noninvasive. Nothing is aimed into the eye. Instead, the
system snaps a black-and-white photograph of the eye. IriScan can
scan an individual's iris even if the person is wearing glasses.

-- James Kim, November 19, 1999