The Rising Importance of Voice Recognition in Biometric Devices
Biometric technology is all the rage it seems, and not a day goes by in which we don’t run across at least one article having to do with iris scanning, ear scanning, nose scanning, and facial scanning. Voice recognition software is pretty well known by this point, as it’s easy to employ and understand. Now with the influx of smartphones and downloadable apps, voice recognition is making headway in consumer products and personal security. With all the new technologies, the idea of a username and password or PIN is sounding more and more archaic. The city of Leon, Mexico, is installing iris recognition scanners to track and monitor citizens. London’s Stansted and other international airports have begun to experiment with various biometric applications at security checks and departure gates.
Not long ago, a US drone missile attack in Northwest Pakistan struck and killed eight suspected jihadists, and as details are becoming clear about the reason and logistics behind the strike, officials have stated that voice recognition was one of the contributing pieces of information used to identify the individuals. Voice recognition can be done over cell phones or in a place under audio surveillance and is quite accurate.
The role of voice recognition in the strike is an indication of how new biometric technology is seeping into modern society.
A recent article interviewed the CEO of Porticus, a voice recognition company working with voice recognition applications for smartphones like the iPhone, Android, and Symbian. Porticus’ app works by evaluating a voice on 36 parameters and can be downloaded to a smartphone for a relatively seamless integration. The article points out that it’s less expensive and complicated, and doesn’t necessitate the addition of supplemental hardware like a fingerprint scanner or eye scanner in order to work. As an individuals voice is wholly unique, it seems to be a good way to keep things secure in case your phone was lost or stolen. The software works by recording your voice saying a selected phrase three times: once slowly, once normally, and once quickly. Once your password and voice are recorded, the phone remains locked until the owner speaks, unlocking the device.
Voice recognition technology used to track terrorists
Related articles:
- Voice Recognition: Google Dives Into Voice Activation Control
- Biometric Devices: An Increasing Presence in the Military
- Biometric Devices: A Voice-Activated Kill Switch for Apple?
- Biometric Devices: The Story Behind Stephen Hawking’s Voice
- Biometric Devices: Ear Scanning, An Alternative in Airport Security
- Voice Recognition: Universal Translation for Smartphones
- Minority Report Biometric Devices: Reality or Fiction?
- Biometric Devices: The Future of Microsoft’s Kinect and Gesture Tracking
- Microsoft Kinect: Biometric Devices Go Mainstream
- Biometric Devices: Microsoft Unveils Kinect