Quick hit: Infrared imaging used for biometric identification

July 18, 2013
A thermal imaging camera was used to identify the blood vessels below the surface of the face, which produces a unique pattern for biometric identification.

A new method of biometric identification where thermal imaging is used to identify the blood vessels below the surface of the face has been developed by a team at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, India.

The method will be covered in an upcoming issue of theInternational Journal of Computational Intelligence Studies, where it suggests that patterns of blood vessels beneath the surface of the skin on the face are as unique as a fingerprint. Using an infrared camera, these patterns can be revealed and used as unique identifiers, which would be nearly impossible to replicate, as potential identity thieves would not be able to escape the camera’s identification of their blood vessels.

An algorithm developed by researcher Ayan Seal and his colleagues at Jadaypur University analyzes the blood vessels almost down to the smallest capillary with an accuracy of more than 97%, according to ScienceDaily.

View the ScienceDaily article.

Also check out:
Facial recognition software used to make arrest
Five applications we never thought of for 3D scanning technology

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About the Author

James Carroll

Former VSD Editor James Carroll joined the team 2013.  Carroll covered machine vision and imaging from numerous angles, including application stories, industry news, market updates, and new products. In addition to writing and editing articles, Carroll managed the Innovators Awards program and webcasts.

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