Physiological biometrics – key considerations
The most appropriate biometric modalities for applications requiring the highest possible assurance of identity are based on physiological features as some of these offer a very high degree of accuracy and stability over time.
The consistently high levels of identity assurance achieved by physiological biometrics, when used in conjunction with high-quality data, has led to their widespread adoption for many diverse applications within society. In particular, they have been utilised to support law enforcement processes and the wider criminal justice system of many countries since the early 20th century. In the case of fingerprints, their use in convicting criminals and exonerating the innocent, has been widely accepted in formal judicial proceedings across many different jurisdictions. Physiological biometric modalities have therefore been subject to many years of developmental testing and have accumulated the greatest body of scientific research to support their deployment. It is this extensive, empirical testing of certain physiological biometrics that has led many in the biometrics community and some U.S. federal departments to consider the combined capture of ten fingerprints, two irises, and a high-quality face image to be the most definitive method of identifying a human being.
Physiological biometrics are most commonly captured with an external device (some form of optical sensor) and then a template is created and stored for later comparison.
Physiological biometrics examples | Physiological and behavioural biometrics overview
