NEC Corporation, the Platinum Award Winner in the 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program for Best Biometric Recognition System, has announced that its iris recognition technology achieved the highest matching accuracy evaluation in the recent Iris Exchange (IREX,(1)) IX evaluations of automated iris recognition algorithms performed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Iris recognition technology is a biometrics identifier that uses patterns from the iris.
The iris is the colored, donut-shaped portion of the eye behind the cornea and surrounds the pupil.
Like the aperture of a camera, it adjusts the size of the pupil to control the amount of light entering the retina.
The iris pattern, composed of muscle patterns, is unique for every person and is believed to remain unchanged from the age of two or three.
Also, covered by the cornea, the iris is well protected from damage, making it a suitable body part for biometric authentication.
NEC Bio-IDiom’s iris recognition captures only the iris pattern by removing excess information such as the pupil, eyelid and eyelashes, to achieve high accuracy.
The technology uses infrared cameras and can also be used in dark locations.
It is ideal for scenes where people wear protective clothing and other heavy gear that covers the entire body, and where contactless identity verification is needed.
Features of iris recognition
- Highly accurate and fast, iris recognition boasts of having top-class precision among different types of biometric authentication technologies.
- Remains unchanged throughout life. (This does not constitute a guarantee.)
- Since the iris is different between the left and right eye, recognition can be performed separately by each eye.
- Possible to distinguish twins.
- As long as the eyes are exposed, iris recognition can be used even when the subject is wearing a hat, mask, eyeglasses or gloves.
- Because of using an infrared camera, recognition is available even at night or in the dark.
- Without the need to touch the device, contactless authentication is possible, making it hygienic to use.
Mechanism of iris recognition
- First, the location of the pupil is detected, followed by detection of the iris and the eyelids.
- Unnecessary parts (noise), such as eyelids and eyelashes, are excluded to clip out only the iris part, which is then divided into blocks and converted into feature values to quantify the image.
- Matching is then performed with feature data previously extracted in the same methods.
In recent years, this technology has been adopted by systems that require large-scale matching, mainly for organizations and companies, since it is possible to quickly provide highly accurate authentication with devices that do not require physical contact.
From the standpoint of privacy protection and security enhancement, government agencies in particular are in growing need of reliable personal authentication for purposes that include citizen ID, immigration control and criminal investigations.
NEC is a global leader in biometric identification technologies, including iris, face, fingerprint, palm print, finger vein, voice, and ear acoustics, and has supplied more than 700 systems in over 70 countries.
Moreover, NEC’s face recognition technology has ranked first in the NIST’s benchmark tests four consecutive times(2), in addition to the company’s fingerprint recognition technology also ranking first.
Each of these technologies belongs to NEC’s biometric authentication brand, “Bio-IDiom“(3).
NEC received the top accuracy ranking in the IREX IX evaluation among 13 participating groups, with a matching precision of 99.33% for near-infrared iris images.
NEC’s evaluation was achieved with its original technologies in highly precise feature extraction, matching and advanced noise reduction.
(NEC’s unique and highly accurate biometric authentication technology solutions are deployed worldwide. NEC uses these biometric technologies under the “Bio-IDiom” brand in various applications and in effective combinations to realize a world where “anyone can utilize digital contents safely and securely.” Courtesy of NEC Corporation and YouTube. Posted on Apr 24, 2018)
Moving forward, NEC will continue with research and development in order to further improve the accuracy of authentication technologies, including the development and provision of iris recognition products and services.
“The Social Solutions business is a major focus for NEC, including the strengthening of safety business as a global growth area,” said Kazuhiro Takada, Executive Vice President, NEC Corporation.
“Following these results, we will continue to contribute to the realization of safe and secure communities with the global development and provision of our portfolio of technologies and services centered on biometric authentication, Bio-IDiom, including cutting edge iris authentication.”
Global expansion of iris recognition solution
NEC aims to realize a safe, secure, efficient, and equal society by expanding iris recognition solutions for criminal investigation, immigration control, and national identification systems in different regions around the world.
Immigration Control
In response to the increasing threats of terrorism around the world, NEC contributes to a safe and secure society by enhancing stringency of immigration control.
Their iris recognition solution offers improved security and smooth personal identification amidst the increasing movement of people between countries.
- The iris is photographed, and the image is matched with the government’s immigration control database during exit or entry procedures at the passport control booth, enabling rapid and stringent personal authentication.
- NEC’s solution provides improved security through stringent recognition, as well as improved convenience through smooth authentication procedures.
National ID
NEC promotes equal access to administrative services by providing legal identification for all citizens.
By enhancing security of national ID systems, NEC’s solution contributes to realizing more advanced national identification services.
- Iris recognition is used as one of the methods for acquiring biometric data needed for issuing unique IDs.
- Accurate and fast authentication is possible even without an ID card.
- Combined use with mutually complementary biometric data, such as fingerprint and face, enables rigid personal authentication and a robust approach against impersonation.
- In addition to National ID, the solution is suitable for passports, driver’s licenses, and voter ID systems.
Crime Investigation
A multimodal biometrics database for managing multiple biometric authentication data is created by taking images of the face, fingerprint, and palm print, as well as the iris.
- Combining with fingerprint and other biometric authentication systems enables more accurate identification of an individual.
- Combined use of biometric data allows recognition even when the fingerprint, for example, could not be used for identification due to injury.
NEC Corporation at a Glance
NEC is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world.
By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company’s experience and global resources, NEC’s advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers.
The NEC Group globally provides “Solutions for Society” that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society.
Under the company’s corporate message of “Orchestrating a brighter world,” NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow.
NEC Corporation Wins Platinum in the 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program
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NEC Corporation of America
- Platinum ‘ASTORS’ Award Winner
- NeoFace Express
- Best Biometric Recognition System
Over 100 distinguished guests from National, State and Local Governments, and Industry Leading Corporate Executives from companies allied to Government, gathered from across North America and the Middle East to be honored from disciplines across the Security Industry in their respective fields which included representatives from:
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- The Department of Justice
- The Security Exchange Commission
- State and Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies
- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Leaders in Private Security
Recognized for their Innovative Training and Education Programs, Outstanding Product Development Achievements and Exciting New Technologies to address the growing Homeland Security Threats our Nation is facing.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards at https://americansecuritytoday.com/ast-awards/.
American Security Today will be holding the 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Presentation Luncheon to honor Nominees, Finalists and Winners in November 2018, in New York City.
NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society.
To learn more, please NEC at http://www.nec.com.
For ‘ASTORS’ Sponsorship Opportunities and More Information on the AST 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, please contact Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at: mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com or call 732.233.8119 (mobile) or 646-450-6027 (office).
(1) NIST Iris Exchange
https://www.nist.gov/itl/iad/image-group/irex-ix
(2) NEC’s Video Face Recognition Technology Ranks First in NIST Testing
https://www.nec.com/en/press/201703/global_20170316_01.html
(3) About Bio-IDiom
https://www.nec.com/en/global/ad/bio-idiom/
About NEC Corporation
