Study shows reduced costs crucial for iris recognition’s widespread adoption in security

Today, and with recent very serious terrorist events in Paris, Brussels, Mali and the downed Russian Airbus flight in mind, global security threats and fraudulent activities are heightening the need for biometrics techniques – of which iris recognition is a very important technology. 

Iris recognition is the most accurate biometric modality available today for personnel identification and security. It typically scans more than 250 signature points to collect data from a source; competing systems scan fewer than a 100. 

Iris recognition’s accuracy - and importantly - the unchanging nature of a person’s iris throughout lifetime make a strong case for the deployment of the technology. Furthermore, specialist market research Frost & Sullivan’s new analysis finds that as a contactless and non-intrusive method of identification, iris recognition will also have an expanding impact in the healthcare sector longer term.

Moreover, as the firm points out, the integration of iris capture into smartphones can create ‘far-reaching ripples in the biometric space’. As cameras in smartphones become viable tools to capture individual iris patterns, customer acceptance of the technology will also pave the way for a wide range of commercial opportunities.

But there’s competition

The new analysis, entitled ‘Five-Year Opportunity Analysis of the Global Iris Recognition Market’, finds that the market earned revenues of $142.9 million (£94.3 million) in 2014 and estimates this to reach $167.9 million (£110.8 million) in 2019. Iris recognition, Frost & Sullivan believes, will make headway in the hospitality, healthcare and finance sectors over the long term as prices decline.

However, says Frost & Sullivan, questions remain concerning biometric’s capability to thrive in the face of the rising popularity of fingerprint recognition solutions. The company believes that more research on visible spectrum iris capture will be vital to increased biometric’s uptake across the sectors.

Commented Frost & Sullivan Measurement and Instrumentation Industry Analyst Ram Ravi: “Global security threats and fraudulent activities heighten the need for iris recognition systems.

“As a result, the technology will find use in national identification, border control and law enforcement.

“Although the modality is anticipated to be the next big thing in biometrics, the high associated costs stall widespread installations, continuous research and development will reduce costs and widen the application scope of iris recognition beyond government identification projects, carving a prominent niche for this promising technology,” said Ravi.

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