Biometrics (ancient Greek: bios ="life", metron ="measure") is the study of automated methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical or behavioral traits.
Biometrics didn't appear in Western cultures until late in the 19th century, yet it had been used in China since the 14th century. Joao de Barros wrote that Chinese merchants had once stamped children's palm prints and footprints onto paper to distinguish them from one another. In the West they relied mainly on photographic memory until Alphonse Bertillon invented the anthropometric system. This was in 1883, and was the first precise system to identify criminals and turned biometrics into a field of study.
In recent years, Biometrics has evolved from fingerprinting to methods that use physical and behavioral measurements.
These characteristics include:
Created by: Autumn I. Date: 3/15/06