Newborn's Biometric Identification: Can it be done?

In this article we propose a novel biometric identification method for newborn babies using their palmprints. A new high resolution optical sensor was developed, which obtains images with enough ridge minutiae to uniquely identify the baby. The palm and footprint images of 106 newborns were analysed, leading to the conclusion that palmprints yield more detailed images then footprints. Fingerprint experts from the Identifcation Institute of Paraná State performed two matching tests, resulting in a correct identification rate of 63.3% and 67.7%, more than three times higher than that obtained on similar experiments described on literature. The proposed image acquisition method also opens the perspective for the creation of an automatic identification system for newborns.