Biometric Applications	Back to Homepage
Biometric technology and its applications have existed longer than people believe. According to Ben Miller, founder and chairman of CardTech/SecurTech, biometric technologies have existed in commercially available products since 1968 (Bateman, S. 1998). The oldest ongoing general application of biometrics belongs to the University of Georgia which, in 1973, installed a hand-scanning system, the Identimat from Identimation, to restrict entry into its all-you-can-eat dining halls. The device measured the lengths of patrons fingers by scanning them with photoelectric cells (Computer Business Review, 1998). It is in the last decade that biometric applications have finally caught up with the technology that has been around for nearly 30 years. This growing impetus of biometric technology is a result of a myriad of beneficial factors for the consumer including decreased costs, increased accuracy rates, and improved hardware technology. Currently, the number of biometric applications instituted around the world is increasing. In 1996, approximately 10,000 biometric devices were in use worldwide. Some estimate the number will grow to 50,000 by year 2000 (Brown, R. 1997). From Germany to Australia to Japan, companies have been investing in higher security measures using biometric technology. Biometric vendors feel that time and attendance is the biggest growth area for biometrics in the near future. Beyond time and attendance, computer and electronic commerce security offer the greatest promise for widespread biometric use. The Internet explosion has contributed to the growth of biometrics, but so is the trend among banking institutions to offer more home-based services to their customers (Burnell, J. 1997). Future biometric applications include, "key" replacements for home or vehicle access, replacement of physical cards for credit card purchases, personalized, intelligent switches for devices (e.g. guns), and electronic signatures for transfer of custodial property such as legal evidence (Biometric Identification, 1997). Today, fingerprint identification systems are the most popular and widely used from of biometric technology (Green, P. 1998). Because forensic applications have used fingerprints to identify people, there is a wealth of information concerning the uniqueness of fingerprint patterns (Green, P. 1998). National computerized fingerprint systems exist in several countries, the first national system having been established in Australia in 1987 (Simon, D. G. 1994). Fingerprint biometrics received a huge boost in May of 1997, when Veridicom Incorporated, a Menlo Park, California startup formed by Lucent Technologies and U.S. Venture Partners, announced the development of a stamped-sized fingerprint reader. The reader-on-a-chip, which is smaller than optical fingerprint readers, can be built into a computer keyboard or mouse, allowing verified users to gain access to a PC or notebook. Prices for this technology now reach below $100 dollars (Violino, B. 1997). Other biometric applications are also working their way into society. The Immigration and Naturalization Service uses hand scans and voice recognition to verify the identities of some 100,000 frequent visitors to the United States. Residents of the Marshall Field Garden Apartments, a low-income housing site in Chicago, pass through a hand-geometry system to enter the building complex. Financial services giant Citibank is testing an eye-scanning system that recognizes the unique patterns found in a person's iris for possible use in automated teller machines (ATM's) (Brown, R. 1997). A Texas company, Mr. Payroll, uses face recognition technology to cash checks for customers using its automated check-cashing machines. In Massachusetts, the Lotus software company, uses hand scans in its day care center to identify parents picking up children (Moylan, M. J., 1997). Two of the more unique applications of biometric technology involve horses in Japan and a bar in Russia. The Japanese Racing Association is now identifying some 10,000 thoroughbreds by iris recognition in order to authenticate the owners of the valuable thoroughbreds. In Russia, patrons at a bar in the Ukraine reportedly can buy a drink with a personal identification number (PIN) verified by the geometry of their hand, which initiates a direct debit to their bank accounts (Stevens, T. 1998). With declining prices, escalating fraud and security breeches are social issues that are bringing biometric technology to market. For example, states are looking for ways to reduce welfare fraud and prevent drivers from obtaining multiple licenses. Colleges and universities want to control access to dormitories and other facilities. Banks are fighting to reduce ATM fraud. Credit card companies want to eliminate billions of dollars in annual losses. As well, many other businesses and institutions, such as healthcare centers and prisons, are looking to control records and regulate personnel movement (Richards, D. R. 1995). For financial and credit institutions, biometric devices are a welcomed alternative security measure. It has been estimated that in 1995 alone, fraud accounted for a staggering $1.3 billion in losses for several leading credit card companies (Woodward, J. D. 1996). Moreover, fraud in 1996 cost U.S. Visa and MasterCard issuers $751.5 million, which does not include American Express, Dean Witter, Diners Club or retail cards (Zbar, J. D. 1997). Likewise, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can document $1.2 billion in losses annually due to loan fraud or false statement which accounts for 35 percent of the $3.3 billion financial institutions reported as crime losses (Panczyk, T. D. 1998). According to one MasterCard spokesperson in referring to biometrics, "Ultimately, this is one of the security features we have identified as something we could add to our fraud-prevention programs for credit. If you can cut that even in half with a technology like biometrics, that's a significant change." (Zbar, J. D. 1997). Much evidence supports this claim. According to Visa U.S.A., credit- and debit-card fraud has fallen for the fourth straight year, beginning in 1994. Fraud losses fell to 0.08 percent of dollar volume, or 8 cents for every $100 transacted (Panczyk, T. D. 1998). Even more astonishing is the reduction in fraud committed by people when companies have implemented a form of biometric technology. When Connecticut required welfare recipients to have their fingerprints scanned almost 25 percent of their applicants disappeared from its rolls, according to the state's Department of Social Services. Installing a similar system, Los Angeles County reported the disappearance of 8,000 names from its register, resulting in annual savings of $12 million (Computer Business Review, 1998). The application of biometric technology is limitless. Four to five years ago biometric technology was still considered too "fictional" for many. Now, these same individuals are asking where and how they can purchase biometric technology.