Biometric identification via retina scanning with liveness detection using speckle contrast imaging

Current biometric modalities include fingerprint, palm, voice, face, gate, iris and even DNA recognition. Another known biometric technique involves subject identification using retinal blood vasculature pattern matching. Regardless of the modality, however, there is an inherent requirement for liveness detection so as to make the acquisition system less susceptible to deception. One possible solution for retina scanning systems is verification of blood flow in the retinal vessels - the definite feature of live tissue. Laser speckle contrast imaging is a common method of blood flow detection and could be used to explicitly confirm liveness. The dynamics of the speckle pattern can be statistically quantified and interpreted as the regions with and without flow. Using a model of the retinal vasculature, this paper reviews speckle contrast imaging as it applies to liveness verification by means of blood flow detection in retina-based biometric systems.