Biometrics Past and Present

  • Finger Prints

    Henry Faulds, a Scottish physician and scientist, publishes the first paper on forensic fingerprinting. He outlines a specific methodology for the collection, and processing, of fingerprints.
  • First Biometric Criminal Identification

    Juan Vucetich, an Argentine Police Officer, makes the first criminal fingerprint identification based on Galton pattern types.
  • First Systematic Use of Biometrics

    The New York State Prison system began the first systematic use of fingerprints in the U.S. for criminals.
  • Formation of the Bureau of Criminal Identification

    The U.S. Department of Justice forms the Bureau of Criminal Identification in Washington, DC to provide a centralized reference collection of fingerprint cards.
  • The FBI Gets Involved

    The Identification Division of the FBI is established.
  • Facial Recognition Technology Is Formed

    Facial recognition technology is pioneered by Woody Bledsoe, Helen Chan Wolf, and Charles Bisson in 1964 as part of their collective study on pattern recognition intelligence (PRI).
  • Retina Scanning Technology Is Formed

    Retina scanning technology is pioneered by John Daugman, who developed and patented the first algorithms for computer-aided identification of iris patterns in 1994.
  • Motorola Offers Fingerprint Scanner

    Motorola is the first company to offer a fingerprint scanner in a smartphone (the Motorola Mobility Atrix 4G).
  • Face ID For Smartphones

    Android comes out with the first smartphone with facial recognition.
  • Biometrics and Automobiles Collide

    Automotive technologies include fingerprint recognition sensors, such as the early Mercedes S-Class Model.
  • iPhone X

    Apple released the iPhone X with Face ID to unlock.