Preliminary studies indicate that corneal shape is a highly unique identifier that is well suited for biometry. In this application, the team will develop on this foundation to a more sophisticated implementation of the technology. This will illustrate its scalability and broad applications. Specifically, this application transitions the corneal geometry comparison algorithms from a simple correlation of shapes to a sophisticated description of unique and readily comparable corneal features. This new technique will allow a compact description of corneal shape, allowing scalable comparisons to large databases of individuals. Furthermore, this application proposes to develop an automated corneal topography measurement system, thus removing the requirement of a trained operator. The new device will be validated against a commercial operator-driven topographer. Finally, the possibility of extending the corneal biometry concept to long-range applications is explored. The culmination of these efforts will demonstrate a flexible biometric system that can be deployed in a variety of security environments. The impact of the proposed technology is an expansion of available technologies for authenticating individuals. All biometric measurement systems have conditions under which they cannot reliably measure an individual. Expanding the available technologies for performing biometry allows security personnel to tailor the technology to the specific environment and application.
August 1, 2012 Jim Schwiegerling, PhD The term biometrics is used to describe the process of analyzing biological and behavioral traits that are unique to an individual in order to confirm or determine his or her identity. Many biometric modalities are currently being researched and implemented including, fingerprints, hand and facial geometry, iris recognition, vein structure recognition, gait and voice recognition. This project explored the possibility of using corneal topography measurements as a trait for biometric identification. Two new corneal topographers were developed and fabricated for this study. The first was designed to function as an operator-free device that will allow a user to approach the device and have his or her corneal topography measured. Human subject topography data were collected with this device and compared to measurements made with a commercially available topographer. The other topographer we fabricated allows for arbitrary pattern illumination through the use of LCD monitors. This topographer was built and tested to be used in future research studies. Topography data was collected from 59 subjects and mathematically fit to create a database for biometric identification. The data were analyzed to determine the biometric error rates associated with corneal topography measurements. Resultant matches between the devices showed between three to eight percent simultaneous false match and false non-match rates, were achieved. The study demonstrated that corneal topography is a viable means for identifying individuals and future work will involve refining the acquisition systems.
