Real-time feedback for usable fingerprint systems

Compared with traditional password and other identification methods, biometrics such as face, iris, and fingerprints for automatic personal identification and verification have many advantages, and are increasingly gaining popularity in all kinds of applications. As the technologies mature, the community has begun to realize that usability has great impact on the final accuracy and efficiency of a biometric system. Although research has shown that effective user feedback can improve the quality of the fingerprint images captured and user satisfaction, currently user feedback information of fingerprint devices used in real world applications is very limited. We design a rich, quality-driven interactive real-time user feedback mechanism for unattended fingerprint kiosk. The system aims to improve the quality of biometric samples during the acquisition process by feeding rich information back to the user instantaneously by measuring objective parameters of the image. The paper proposes an innovative, cost-efficient, real-time algorithm for fingertip detection, slap/thumb rotation detection, and finger region intensity estimation. The paper provides detailed information on the technical solution and its implementation. Preliminary results show that the methodology can potentially increase efficiency, effectiveness, and user satisfaction of a fingerprint biometric system.