An iris biometric system for public and personal use

Much work in the emerging field of biometrics has focused on identification applications. Biometrics offers the means to identify individuals without requiring that they carry ID cards and badges or memorize passwords. A leading concern in the development of such applications, however, is how to avoid rejecting valid users or approving imposters. The iris of the eye may provide a solution by offering a much more discriminating biometric than fingerprint or face recognition. The authors have designed and implemented an iris biometric system for personal electronic identification. Further, their system solves problems associated with public use devices such as automated teller machines, where habituated use is not the norm. The system also addresses personal-use arenas, such as home banking, and other Internet and network applications, such as secure business logons. The article describes the public- and personal-use systems, as well as relating statistical analysis and field trials to gauge the effectiveness of their system.