Department of Defense Awards Grant to UB-Ultra-Scan Team to Develop Optimal Biometric Systems

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The U.S. Department of Defense, through the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, has awarded Ultra-Scan Corp. and the University at Buffalo's Center for Unified Biometrics and Sensors (CUBS) a highly competitive Small Business Technology Transfer Research contract.

The funding will be used for a project focusing on the development of an optimal method of combining multiple biometric technologies, which focus on multiple physical and behavioral characteristics, to identify individuals entering the U.S. and to improve overall system accuracy.

The partnership teams CUBS' expertise in the use of signatures as a biometric and Ultra-Scan's superior fingerprint-identification system (LUIS™). It's anticipated that using a combination of biometric measurements, such as a person's fingerprint and signature, would improve accuracy and processing speed.

"While it is quite possible that the signatures of two individuals may be very similar, the chances that both their signatures and fingerprints are alike are very remote," said Venu Govindaraju, Ph.D., UB professor of computer science and engineering and director of CUBS.

"Together, Ultra-Scan and CUBS are developing the science and the mathematics that will allow us to establish the optimal method of combining biometrics in a single system," he said.

Human physical characteristics can change with age, weight, injury and other factors. By using multiple methods for measurement and identification, the challenges these variations pose can be minimized.

"After the attacks of Sept. 11, accurate personal identification gained significant attention," said John K. Schneider, Ph.D., president of Ultra-Scan Corp. "Biometric-based recognition emerged as one of the most promising technologies to achieve high confidence in securing our borders."

The research also will result in applications to identity management systems within the health-care and financial industries.

CUBS was established in 2003 to advance the science of biometrics and build engineered systems with a focus on homeland security applications.

Ultra-Scan Corp. is an identity management solutions provider serving the health care, government and transportation security, and financial markets.