BiometricStore aims to demystify biometric technology

Nov 1, 1997 12:00 PM, GEORGE PARTINGTON

At New York City's IBG BiometricStore, all of the technological wizardry of the emerging biometric security industry is on display. But leave the credit card at home, because, despite its name, the BiometricStore does not sell the equipment.

The facility is the brainchild of the consulting firm International Biometric Group (IBG). Those in the market for biometrics are encouraged to compare and explore biometric technology in a hands-on, interactive environment.

"The purpose of the store is to allow IBG clients and potential clients to see biometric technologies, use them hands-on and really be able to get a feel of what the eventual end-user will be going through when they go up to a fingerprint unit or a retina scan unit or a hand geometry unit," says Samir Nanavati, an IBG partner.

To visit the store, which opened Aug. 17, 1997, one must make an appointment with IBG. An on-site biometric consultant guides visitors through the evaluation process and explains many of the practical issues that arise during implementation.

"Questions start to come to mind that may not have been apparent," says Nanavati. "And sometimes, it is a little bit easier to play around with the technology in a neutral environment, without the vendors standing over your back."

Visitors to the store can try out each of the three fingerscan technologies - ultrasound, chip and optical. Or they can experience technologies that are perceived to be less intrusive, such as face biometrics, dynamic signature verification and voice verification, which analyzes cadence, tone, pitch and other factors. Retina scan and hand geometry systems are also ava ilable.

Major vendors involved IBG, a leading worldwide biometric consulting firm that addresses the needs of biometric vendors and end-users, used its long-standing reputation in the biometrics industry to attract major technology vendors to the BiometricStore.

The initial response has been positive, and IBG plans to open additional facilities in other cities.

The company also offers classes on the technology, Biometrics in Brief and Biometrics Class. The latter, a three-day course, teaches consultants how to implement biometric systems. Biometrics In Brief is a one-day seminar that covers the state of the industry with overviews of the strengths and weaknesses of each technology. It is generally customized for the specific client.

Stocking the store The following biometric products are demonstrated at the BiometricStore: * Face recognition: FaceIt from Visionics and Cyberwatch from Miros. * Retina scan: System 2001 from EyeDentify. * Hand geometry: HandKey from Recognition Systems Inc. * Dynamic signature verification: PenOp; SigCheck from Communication Intelligence Corporation; and Countermatch from AEA. * Voice recognition: SpeakEZ from T-NETIX; SpeakerKey from ITT; VeriVoice; Caller Verification System (CVS) from Veritel; VoiceGuardian from Keyware; and Star Trek Voice Print (layered with FaceIt) from QVoice. * Finger scan: BioMouse from American Biometric Company; Pass for Portables from NRI; Fingerprint Keyboard from Keytronics; Fingerprint Identification Unit (FIU) from Sony; TouchLock II from Identix; Series 500/600 from Ultra-Scan; FingerChip from Thomson-CFS.

For more information, call Raj Nanavati, 888-424-8424.

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