The use of a biometric devices is so pervasive in our everyday lives that even if you are unaware of its existence, you have probably interacted with one in a variety of scenarios, such as when you went to work and used your face to access the building gate or when you paid for something using your fingerprints, just to name a few examples.
Some are as follows:
The first type of fingerprint scanner uses optical technology to scan images of fingerprints. It scans your fingers with LED light to find a change in the pattern of reflected light, which triggers an electrical signal that is then turned into digital data.
Contactless biometric devices can capture your biometric data without having to touch you. Facial recognition terminals capture your face images using specialized cameras such as HDR or IR cameras. These cameras can detect facial features such as your eyes, nose, mouth, and even skin tone. When in use, a facial recognition terminal can instantly scan your face as you pass by in real time. Following the acquisition of an image of your face, facial recognition software algorithms are used to determine your identity based on the facial features that were caught on camera and compared to a database of previously seen faces. If a match is found, your identity can be confirmed.
Biometric handheld mobile devices, like the ones law enforcement officers use at airports or voter registration workers use at polling places, often use hybrid biometric or multi-factor authentication to identify and verify people. This makes the identification process more accurate and secure. People can use these mobile biometric devices to scan fingerprints and other biometrics to get accurate information about someone without having to take them into custody.