3. 1. Fingerprint scanners
Fingerprint scanners — the most common form of
biometric authentication method — scan the swirls and
ridges unique to every person’s fingertips. Current
technological advances have resulted in scanners that
go beyond fingerprint ridges to scan for vascular
patterns. This has helped bring down false positives
that occasionally occur with consumer-grade biometric
options found on smartphones. Fingerprint scanners
continue to remain the most accessible and popular.
4. 2. Facial recognition
Like the fingerprint scanner, facial recognization
technology scans a face based on approved and
stored parameters and measurements. These
parameters are collectively called faceprints.
Access is granted only when a large number of
them are satisfied. Despite the inconsistency in
matching faces to parameters from different angles
or distinguishing between similar or related people,
facial recognition is included in several smart
devices.
5. 3. Voice recognition
This version of scanning technologies focuses on vocal
characteristics to distinguish one person from another. A
voice is captured to a database, and several data points
are recorded as parameters for a voiceprint. Vocal
recognition technologies focus more on mouth and
throat shape formation and sound qualities than merely
listening to a voice. This helps reduce the chances of
misreading a voice imitation attempt.
6. 4. Eye scanners
Eye scanners include retina and iris scanners. A
retina scanner projects a bright light at an eye to
highlight blood vessel patterns that a scanner can
read. These readings are compared to the
information saved in the database. Iris scanners
evaluate unique patterns in the colored ring of the
pupil. Both scanner forms are ideal for hands-free
verification. However, they can be unreliable if a
person wears contact lenses or spectacles.
