Innovatrics Improves Accuracy of Fingerprint Algorithm for Children’s Prints

Innovatrics has upgraded its fingerprint algorithm to improve its performance when matching the fingerprints of children. The updated algorithm is six times more accurate than its predecessor when applied to children, delivering a matching error rate that is comparable to the already low matching rate for adults.

In that regard, Innovatrics noted that children’s fingerprints are much more difficult to match than those of adults, largely due to the effects of aging. While the general shape of someone’s fingerprint will stay the same as they grow, the surface area gets larger and the relative distance between the various ridges may change over time. As a result, a print taken as a child may not be a perfect match for that same person’s prints as an adult, which can create very high numbers of false positive and false negative matches. Matching techniques that are based on adult prints can also struggle when applied to prints of a smaller size.

Innovatrics’ new algorithm is designed to solve those problems, insofar as it can accurately estimate what an adult print will look like based on a template collected from a child. In doing so, it is expected to create significant savings for organizations that adopt the solution.

As it stands, organizations that want to collect children’s fingerprints often need to search for and install specialized and potentially expensive technology, since whatever identification system they happen to be using will not be equal to the task. The Innovatrics algorithm, on the other hand, is fully integrated with the company’s existing ABIS platform, so customers can add child identification capabilities without making any other hardware or software changes.

According to Innovatrics, child fingerprinting is most common at international borders, where visa and residency application legislation may require the collection of prints from children as young as six. Some governments are also trying to use the technology to facilitate national ID and healthcare programs. On that front, Innovatrics’ fingerprint technology has been deployed in fingerprint scanners for a recent universal healthcare project in Senegal.

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April 23, 2021 – by Eric Weiss