The first step of the process is entering a person's thermal image into the system with the use of the IR camera. Once the image has been captured, it is digitized and stored in a database. A keypad or badge reader is situated at all points of entry in a facility. To gain access, a person must first scan the badge or enter the PIN, which indicates an identity to the facial recognition system. An infrared camera at the same location captures the individual's thermogram and transmits it to the control unit, where, using a computer and algorithms, it is compared to the thermal image on file.
Access is granted only when the two images are identical.
The system does not rely on the badge or PIN for security because they are not the secure portion of the process but rather a convenient means to identify a person to the system. Using an interactive system, more than 1,000 human facial images were collected and analyzed during the first phase of the demonstration. Thermograms also were taken of 12 test subjects. To verify the system's effectiveness, the 12 individuals were randomly mixed with the general population from the initial collection of more than 1,000. During this evaluation, an analyst successfully identified the test subjects as they passed through a transit point.