Technologies

Iris Recognition Technology

Iris recognition is the best-of-breed authentication process available today. It involves taking a picture of the iris used solely for authentication — not retinal scanning.

1 in 10⁷⁸

Chance of identical irises

1 in 1.2M

False accept rate

512 B

Template size per iris

<2s

Authentication time

Why iris recognition

The iris offers a rare combination of qualities that make it the strongest biometric available for authentication.

Stable — the unique pattern in the human iris is formed by 10 months of age and remains unchanged throughout one's lifetime.
Unique — the probability of two irises producing the same code is nearly impossible.
Flexible — iris recognition technology easily integrates into existing security systems or operates as a standalone.
Reliable — a distinctive iris pattern is not susceptible to theft, loss or compromise.
Non-invasive — unlike retinal screening, iris recognition is non-contact and quick, offering unmatched accuracy compared to any other security alternative, from distances as far as 3 to 10 inches.

Traditional notions of establishing identity

Historically, identity has been established by what you have (a key, card or token) or what you know (a password or PIN). Both can be lost, stolen, shared or forgotten. Neither actually verifies the person — only the credential. As security demands grow, these traditional approaches increasingly fall short.

Emergence of biometrics

Biometrics shifts authentication from what you have or know to who you are. By measuring a physical characteristic unique to each individual, biometric systems bind identity to the person rather than to a credential. Among biometric modalities — fingerprint, face, voice, hand geometry — iris recognition stands out for its accuracy, speed and stability.

Biometric appeal of iris recognition

The iris is the most data-rich biometric structure on the human body. Its texture contains more than 240 unique degrees of freedom, and it is protected behind the cornea, making it stable over a lifetime and difficult to alter or spoof. Capture is contactless and photographic, requiring only a glance at a camera.

Biology behind the technology

The intricate texture of the iris is the product of chaotic morphogenesis during prenatal development. Because the pattern arises from random processes rather than genetics, even genetically identical twins — and even a person's own left and right eyes — have completely different iris patterns. This randomness is what gives the iris its extraordinary discriminating power.

Advantage of iris recognition

Iris recognition delivers practical advantages that no other biometric can match.

A very small outlier population — nearly everyone can enroll.
Long-term stability — one enrollment can last a lifetime.
Proven performance against very large databases.
Unmatched search speed, enabling real-time identification at national scale.
Versatile operating modes — identification (1:N) and verification (1:1).
Safe, non-contact capture using video imaging.
An intuitive user interface — users simply look at the camera.

How it works

Enrollment takes less than two minutes, and subsequent authentication takes less than two seconds. A video camera captures an image of the iris; the system maps the iris texture and encodes it into a compact 512-byte template per iris — the IrisCode. At authentication, a live image is captured, encoded, and compared against enrolled templates in an Identification Control Unit (ICU) or matching server, returning a decision almost instantly.

How it compares

Measured against other biometric modalities, iris recognition leads on the criteria that matter most.

Accurate — the lowest false accept rates of any biometric.
Stable — the iris pattern does not change with age.
Fast — authentication in under two seconds.
Scalable — proven against databases of hundreds of millions.
Non-invasive — no contact required, safe for all users.

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