Knuckle Print Biometrics and Fusion Schemes -- Overview, Challenges, and Solutions

Abstract

Numerous behavioral or physiological biometric traits, including iris, signature, hand geometry, speech, palm print, face, etc. have been used to discriminate individuals in a number of security applications over the last 30 years. Among these, hand-based biometric systems have come to the attention of researchers worldwide who utilize them for low- to medium-security applications such as financial transactions, access control, law enforcement, border control, computer security, time and attendance systems, dormitory meal plan access, etc. Several approaches for biometric recognition have been summarized in the literature. The survey in this article focuses on the interface between various hand modalities, summary of inner- and dorsal-knuckle print recognition, and fusion techniques. First, an overview of various feature extraction and classification approaches for knuckle print, a new entrant in the hand biometrics family with a higher user acceptance and invariance to emotions, is presented. Next, knuckle print fusion schemes with possible integration scenarios, and traditional capturing devices have been discussed. The economic relevance of various biometric traits, including knuckle print for commercial and forensic applications is debated. Finally, conclusions related to the scope of knuckle print as a biometric trait are drawn and some recommendations for the development of hand-based multimodal biometrics have been presented.