Image-based Ear Biometric Smartphone App for Patient Identification in Field Settings

We present a work in progress of a computer vision application that would directly impact the delivery of healthcare in underdeveloped countries. We describe the development of an image-based smartphone application prototype for ear biometrics. The application targets the public health problem of managing medical records at on-site medical clinics in less developed countries where many individuals do not hold IDs. The domain presents challenges for an ear biometric system, including varying scale, rotation, and illumination. It was not clear which feature descriptors would work best for the application, so a comparative study of three ear biometric extraction techniques was performed, one of which was used to develop an iOS application prototype to establish the identity of an individual using a smartphone camera image. A pilot study was then conducted on the developed application to test feasibility in naturalistic settings.