Future of smartphone Biomatrics

Sorry, Apple. The fingerprint recognition feature on the upcoming iPhone 5s, Touch ID, might be eye-catching, but you still have to log into your device. Identifying someone by the way they tap and swipe on a touchscreen might be the more natural, unobtrusive future of smartphone biometricsMovie Camera.

Developed by Cheng Bo at the Illinois Institute of Technology and his colleagues, SilentSense does just that. Using the phone's built-in sensors, it records the unique patterns of pressure, duration and fingertip size and position each user exhibits when interacting with their phone or tablet.

Machine learning algorithms then turn this into a signature that identifies the user – and will lock out anyone whose usage patterns do not match.

To increase the system's accuracy, the smartphone's accelerometer and gyroscope measure how much the screen moves when you are jabbing at it. They can also pick up on your unique gait as you walk while using the screen.

"Different users, dependent on sex and age among other things, will have different habits in interacting," says Bo.

In tests, 100 users were told to use the smartphone's touchscreen as they would normally. SilentSense was able to identify the phone's owner with 99 per cent accuracy after no more than 10 taps. Even with an average of 2.3 touches the system was able to verify the user 98 per cent of the time.

To save on power, the software stops checking the user's identity when apps like games are being used. To maintain security, it automatically switches on when more sensitive applications, such as email or SMS, are accessed.

"This is interesting, creative research," says Kevin Bowyer, a biometrics researcher at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. "It could help preserve privacy if the phone could recognise if the owner or a guest was using it and lock guests out of some applications."

Journal reference: arXiv:1309.0073v1

CryEngine 3 vs Frostbite 3

Although there is much debate and speculation regarding the competition between the upcoming next gen consoles and the various producers waiting to promote their latest game releases, it’s easy to forget that the competition is also rife in software development. There is no better example of this competition than between the established CryEngine 3 by German Developers Crytek, the engine being used in games such as Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 and Crysis 2. The competitor is the upcoming Frostbite 3 engine by Swedish developer DICE, which has been showcased during E3 in the incredible gameplay demo of Battlefield 4.

One of the first things that people will assess when comparing the two engines will be the visual/graphical comparisons, and after comparing the two engines I feel the award for the most visually impressive must go to the Frostbite 3. The graphical display on Battlefield 4 was simply amazing, showcasing the clear crisp graphics, excellent framerate, clear sound effects, shadowing, lighting, speedy rendering, and the support for huge open world maps. All of this was a clear demonstration of both the excellent graphical capabilities of the software, but also a clear demonstration that the next gen consoles are capable of running the engine without any compatibility or processing problems.

 

Both Engines are stunning to look at, but I still find myself drawn more to the Frostbite 3.

Compare that with the CryEngine which, to its credit, wowed us with its own display of graphical, sounds, and quality when showcasing Crysis 2 on the PC. Also any issue of its redundancy on next gen consoles was dismissed by Crytek who stated on their website the engine will be compatible for supporting games on next gen. Also, although I feel the graphics are better on the Frostbite Engine, the CryEngine does appear to have a more colorful look and more emphasis on character models, although both engines seem to adopt a dark and dusty tinge, possibly to try and make the game world look more realistic.

However in one area that I do feel the Frostbite 3 engine is indeed far superior, is in its performance. One of the most glaring problems attributed to the CryEngine 3 is its apparent favoritism towards the PC platform. Although Crytek claims the engine was designed specifically to allow more compatibility with consoles, this did not translate in graphics, rendering, or performance, which was average at best when compared to the PC. In the case of the Frostbite 3 engine the development has been made for the use of next gen gaming as a priority, and as such will not only be able to flex its ‘graphical muscles’ in high profile events, but do so on what will soon be the best selling gaming devices on the planet.