Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Biometrics: Eye See the Future of Campus Safety

  • 11/01/17
biometrics

PHOTO MAXIMP

Biometric authentication is the automated recognition of an individual using unique physiological characteristics, such as fingerprints or irises, and/or behavioral characteristics, such as keystroke pattern.

At the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, according to their website, a security upgrade in Dining Services and the Ramsey Student Center has replaced biometric hand readers with Iris Recognition Technology. The system works by taking a picture of the iris and then comparing it to biometric data kept on file with the university. The new system provides more accurate, faster and contactless facility access.

The system provides accurate authentication from 10 to 14 inches away in fewer than two seconds. The identification works with contacts, eyeglasses and goggles.

The new technology is expected to decrease customer wait time at the turnstiles and provide a hygienic and hands-free entry method into UGA’s five dining commons and the Ramsey Center.

Georgia Southern University in Statesboro has done the same, retiring their fingerprint readers in order to upgrade to an iris-based ID authentication system to allow access either of the campus’ two dining commons. There is no need to worry about students who may have lost or forgotten their ID cards, or whose hands are full and need to spend time juggling books, a backpack, a phone or other items in order to free up a hand for scanning. They simply stop at a turnstile, look into an iris reader and a second later they’re on their way.

The benefits of biometrics identification are not limited to knowing who has entered the dining hall in search of lunch. Broader applications for safety include campus-wide access control. Knowing who is accessing research labs, daycare facilities, residence halls, medical facilities, administration areas and more can aid in promoting a secure environment.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Fellowes Expands Finish and Wall-Covering Options for Architectural Wall Systems

    Fellowes Architectural Solutions has expanded the materials library for its architectural wall systems with a series of new finishes and wall-covering options intended to provide architects and designers with additional choices for commercial interiors, according to a company news release.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.