UIDAI and IIT Bombay have partnered to create a touchless fingerprint biometric capture system that can capture fingerprints without physical contact. The system will include built-in liveness detection and support biometric authentication using multiple fingers simultaneously. In addition, the technology will be integrated into the Aadhaar ecosystem, making biometric authentication more accessible and user-friendly.
The focus of the joint initiative between IIT Bombay and the Federal Government’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), through IIT Bombay’s National Center of Excellence in Technology for Internal Security (NCETIS), is to develop contactless fingerprint technology that can be used on ordinary mobile phones, with an emphasis on providing a user-friendly experience.
Aadhaar is a unique identification system used for various transactions in India. It assigns a 12-digit number to all residents and can be used to access government services. In February, the total Aadhaar authentication reached 2.26 billion; most were carried out using fingerprints. Independent testing shows that contactless fingerprint technologies have become accurate enough for specific use cases, especially when matching against templates enrolled with touch fingerprint scanners.
This technology is a significant step forward, but private sector technologies are likely to advance further when this technology is released to the public. Nonetheless, the collaboration between UIDAI and IIT Bombay demonstrates a commitment to innovation and progress in biometric authentication.
