What Is The Iris Scanner And How Does It Work?

There is nothing we can't do it, only something we couldn't imagine. The concepts of fingerprint, face recognition, eye-verification, and retinal scan make us imagine that we are living a high-tech and more convenient life.  These keywords can catch our attention easily and become a hot topic. Therefore, high-tech companies are more likely to add these influencing factors into their latest product.In 2013, Apple presented their iPhone 5s with fingerprint recognition which left us surprised by the fact that such high-tech features can work smoothly in regular consumer electronics. At the same time, fingerprint recognition became the top search keyword in Google. After that, fingerprint recognition has become a standard feature for  Smartphones. It appears in so many China products.

Recently, Samsung launched its new Galaxy Note 7 that brought along a new feature, the iris Scanner.  So what is this iris scanner or eye-print – how does it work – and is it necessary to use iris scanner instead of fingerprint recognition?

What is an iris scanner?

According to Wikipedia an iris scanner uses a mathematical pattern-recognition technique based on biometric identification. The Iris is a thin circular structure in the eye which is responsible for controlling the diameter and size of pupil. It is individual and unique, just like your fingerprint; you can’t find two exactly same irises in the world. Many countries started doing research on this technique a long time ago but it has only been applied to our daily usage recently.

People may confuse the consumer electronics with a retinal scanner and eye recognition. Well, I have to say they are different, but a technology to use eye identification on individual persons.

How does it work in Samsung’s new phone?

The new Galaxy phone is using multiple cameras and first captures the eyes and face of a user. After that the phone uses 3 lenses to make sure the iris being scanned matches the earlier recorded image.

Many review bloggers tested its iris scanner feature and say that it can unlock the phone quickly and smoothly. No matter you wear glasses or not. But some people also mentioned that it is better not use this feature in a dark environment or when you use cosmetic lenses.

Is this Iris scanner a replacement for fingerprint recognition?

Fingerprint recognition is a mature technology that is applied to many consumer devices and most Smartphones in the market. We can easily use our fingerprints to unlock our phone in less than 1 second. So what is the shortage of fingerprint recognition?

Fingerprints may easy copied or stolen for illegal usage. Because we leave our fingerprints everywhere we touch. Or when you sleep or are drunk, your Smartphone may be used by anyone who only needs to put your thumb on the home button to turn on your phone. The other disturbing thing is that it doesn’t work if your hands are wet or wounded.

Does it mean that the iris scanner can take over the Smartphone market? Well, it still hard to say. Iris scanners are a popular trend right now, but it is also not perfect. The success rate to unlock your phone is not high enough and it is hard to use it in a poor environment. Also, it may cause harm to the eyes of children or babies.

Do you have any Smartphones with Iris Recognition featured in Chinavasion?

Yes, we will launch a new Homtom HT10 Smartphone(off sale) that has an iris scanner next week and we will soon do an unboxing video for it. Stay tuned! This less than $250 Smartphone with Iris Recognition will be coming soon to Chinavasion.

  Author Bio: Ivy Jiang working for Chinavasion as senior marketing specialist.