FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are iris based systems 100% reliable (i.e. no false positives)?
Yes, iris-based systems are reliable and there will be no false positives when properly deployed. There are two parts to any iris-based system: iris acquisition and iris matching. The HBOX® technology has focused extensively on the iris acquisition, and in particular getting the same or better quality images as other devices, except that they are much easier to use, have higher throughput, are more reliable (for example, no moving parts are involved in the acquisition process), and more cost effective.
After acquiring the images, the identification is performed by the iris matching module. One of the advantages of our product is that we provide our proprietary iris matching module bundled in with our products. Other producers require the customer to license a matcher from 3rd parties. That becomes both very costly and unmanageable. From the technical perspective, there has been meaningful precedents in performing iris matching over very large databases (e.g. in India for welfare management and in the UAE for border control), which have demonstrated the no-false-positive result.
Where are your systems currently being deployed?
We have systems deployed around the world in both the government and private sectors. For example, one key multinational client in the financial sector has been closely working with us for more than two years. This close interaction has provided us with exposure to all segments of the business including its customer-facing side. In fact this client invested heavily in performing focus groups on our technology across the country, and found acceptance figures by customers when presented with the convenience, ease of use and security were in the range of 90 per cent. Based on those results, the client who has deployed access control with our products will move into that space with us.
How do your products address the issues of data protection and privacy?
Our equipment is compliant with both individual countries’ data protection rules and customer policies. In addition, we use a proprietary technology that we call disposable iris templates. This technology is implemented over the normal AES 256 encryption we use, providing additional safeguards to the data that is being stored in the database or the data that is transmitted in transactions.
For biometric data that is interchanged between countries, then there are rules with respect to what data can be passed. Those rules can be adhered to as normal, but we also provide a proprietary technology that we call Identification in Anonymity®. In this case, a unique identifier is generated to resolve the issue of whether (in a specific case) the person is granted access or not, without having to specifically know the person's name, which greatly simplifies the data protection procedures that must be followed.
What interfaces are provided in the HBOX® for integration with existing systems?
The HBOX® is designed to overlay on top of existing systems. For example, for access control, Wiegand and F/2F are standard protocols used in card readers and access control in general. The HBOX® technology has such Wiegand and F/2F outputs, so that to the rest of the access control system, the HBOX® acts like a glorified card reader, except the HBOX® is reading the person's iris and not a card. Then the rest of the access control system takes over with regard to opening the doors etc. There is also a relay output that gives the HBOX® control over the doors and actuators directly.
For the interface with more modern systems, the HBOX® includes an Ethernet output. This provides the capability to generate more sophisticated network outputs.
Are your products offered in various colors?
We can certainly look at customizing the colors and material used during manufacture in a volume order. For example, one of our key multinational clients in the financial sector chose a dark gray color for the EyeSwipe®-Mini and EyeSwipe®.
What technologies and standard SDK will be supporting?
GRI's recently released HBOX® SDK Net programming interface library can be implemented with many different programming languages (VB.Net, C#, C++/CLI, Java, C++).
What security features are included in the interface design?
Standard 3rd party network security protocols can be used on top of TCP/IP, and in addition, Hoyos is developing its own security protocols.
What programmatic (API's) are designed into the HBOX®?
The HBOXSDKNet is now available to customers who wish to integrate the HBOX® into their own solution. The HBOXSDKNet exposes a set of programming interfaces to allow communication between a client applications and the HBOX® device for iris and facial image acquisition.
What are the wireless interface capabilities?
Wireless can be added via the USB or TCP/IP network connector.
What is the storage representation of the iris scan? Is the picture retained, for instance?
The data acquisition and iris match components are entirely separate. An iris image is the interface between the two modules. This iris image can be stored along with any iris scan representation produced by the iris match component.
How would you statistically characterize the HBOX® in relation to false positives?
The statistical false positive rate is the same as the false positive rate for the matcher being used in HBOX®. In more detail, HBOX® has 2 separate components: data acquisition and iris matching. These components have been logically separated so that any iris match algorithm can be used by the customer. Much work has been performed on iris matching, and performance rates for various matchers are well understood and published (for example, the ICE challenge). Hoyos has also developed its own matcher that addresses many issues related to unobtrusive matching.
How do your products address data collection interferences such as eye lashes and access to clear images of the iris?
Unlike other iris systems that only acquire imagery at one instance (which may be an instance when the iris is completely visible or obscured as described above), HBOX® technology acquires imagery in several instances with the objective of acquiring successively better quality imagery over time.
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