4 Most Popular Methods of Biometrics in Philippines

What are the most popular methods of biometrics?

1. Fingerprint recognition
2. Iris recognition
3. Facial recognition
4. Voice recognition

Biometric systems have been a growing part of many establishments in the Philippines. Biometrics are becoming more popular not only for offices and buildings but for homes as well. Their goal is to ensure maximum safety and convenience for users. Let’s take a look at the four most popular biometric methods in the Philippines.

Fingerprint Recognition

Fingerprint security systems are the most common form of biometric systems. Their popularity stems from the simplicity and high-reliability of fingerprint scanners. This is by far, the oldest form of a biometric system, with development dating back to 1981. Due to the massive advancements of modern technology, fingerprint recognition is becoming safer and more readily available to the public.

Due to its compact size and inexpensive cost, numerous establishments in the Philippines use this biometric system as a primary security measure. Many offices have also turned to fingerprint recognition scanners as a form of attendance checker. Though this biometric system isn’t limited to door lock systems in the Philippines or attendance checkers, they have also made their way into being integrated with computers, phones, and car doors. The uniqueness of a person’s fingerprint is what makes this system reliable, secure, and extremely difficult to spoof.

Iris Recognition

One of the most secure and incredibly developed biometric systems, iris recognition uses high-resolution images of a person’s iris for authentication. This biometric system makes use of cameras equipped with infrared illumination in order to diminish some of the reflections produced from the cornea. High-quality cameras with the aid of infrared produce detail-rich stills of the intricate structure of the iris; the colored section of a human’s eye.

Like a person’s fingerprint, the detailed structure of the iris is unique for every individual. It is impossible for two people to share the same iris structure. When computers store images of a person’s iris, they convert the complex structure into digital templates to provide one-of-a-kind mathematical representations.

This biometric system is becoming widely used in the Philippines due to its impeccable accuracy, ease of use, and low margin of error. High-security establishments are incorporating the use of iris recognition authentication systems because they are extremely difficult to compromise.

Facial Recognition

Adapting facial recognition into biometric systems has proven to be one of the most flexible identification methods. Though it may seem to be complex, facial recognition systems are actually one of the simplest. What this biometrics system analyzes are the facial features of a person, the distance between the eyes, the shape of the jawline, cheekbones, nose shape, mouth, and other facial characteristics. Once the high-quality camera processes these features, it is them turned into numerical quantities.

What’s amazing about facial recognition systems is its ability to scan faces from a distance. It can also be a means to identify a person without having to spend too much time in front of the scanner. Though facial recognition excels in surveillance, there is still more work to do in terms of security.

All around the world, many phones have adapted this biometric system in phones. Home surveillance cameras in the Philippines also make use of facial recognition systems in order to aid door locking systems and alert local police for any suspicious activity. Companies such as Suprema Inc. are known to sell one of the most secure facial recognition door locking systems in the Philippines.

Voice Recognition

Verifying a person’s voice is one of the most complicated biometric systems ever developed. This is basically a combination of both speech recognition and voice recognition. That means making use of recognizing a set of spoken words and distinct vocal pattern. That involves verifying a person’s pitch, pronunciation, vocal modulation, and a set of words or phrases.

The complexity of this biometric system makes its accuracy difficult to measure. Many voice recognition systems can identify if a voice recording is being used to get through the system. Since this biometric system is still in heavy development, it is arguably not yet an ideal choice for high-security applications. Though updated systems are difficult to fool, there still may be a chance that voice recognition could still be compromised. We are hoping to see much development for this in the future.

In the Philippines, the use of voice recognition is usually for household systems like controlling climate control, lighting, and the use of other appliances. Though development seems very promising, we have yet to see the rise of this biometric system for security uses.

Key Takeaway

Biometric methods have taken the world by storm when it comes to enhancing safety and improving convenience. These most popular biometric methods used in the Philippines are known to be the most secure in the world. Many establishments are slowly integrating the use of biometric systems to phase out old and potentially easily compromisable analog systems. This is the future for home safety and authentication.