Speech Technology Center Deploys the World’s First Voice and Face Biometrics System in Ecuador

Speech Technology Center (STC) is pleased to announce the successful deployment of the world’s first biometric identification platform, at a nation-wide level, that combines voice and face identification capabilities. The state-of-the-art system was deployed in Ecuador, where the goal has been to equip the country’s security services with new identification technologies and investigative tools in their continuing fight against crime.

The bimodal biometric system creates a forensic database that helps to identify persons suspected in a crime. Should a criminal investigation have voice recordings or photographs featuring the face of a suspected person, such samples could be compared with those in the database. The system processes the samples and delivers relevant matches; these can then be used as an investigative aid or forensic evidence in criminal cases.

Among varieties of biometrics currently used, voice biometrics shows the highest reliability. Voice cannot be falsified, and STC’s voice biometric identification system provides 97% reliability. Supplementing voice biometrics with face biometrics brings it closer to 100% correct identification and authentication.

Speech Technology Center (STC), headquartered in Russia, is a global leader in speech technologies and multimodal biometrics (www.speechpro.com). With STC’s professional quality audio technologies, signal processing in voice biometrics applications is performed even if audio files are short or recording quality is poor, and its automatic voice identification capabilities are language and content independent. STC’s face recognition algorithms deliver reliable results even when facial characteristics have undergone physical changes, and the system’s voice and face modalities can be used together or separately-a voice sample or facial image alone is sufficient to make an identification.

«Voice and face identification are providing new and valuable investigative capabilities," stated Mikhail Khitrov, CEO of STC. «In this case, STC’s R&D capability and expertise, which are unique and unparalleled in the industry, let us deliver a platform that meets our client’s specific needs. The biometric technologies providing the foundation of the system have proven to be reliable and robust in even the most challenging conditions.»

«As biometric technologies mature," Khitrov added, «we’re seeing a growing demand for these kinds of tailored voice and multi-modal biometric solutions-not just in Latin America, but in the global marketplace.»