The main thing about voice biometrics (part I)

Every person is unique. Fingerprints, drawing of the iris of the eyes, facial wrinkles, handwriting, voice. Why not use our features to protect your personal data on the Internet?

We already have a fingerprint scanner, retina scanner, and face-ID. What about voice? Let's talk today about a relatively new, but reliable method of user identification - voice biometrics.

What is "voice biometrics" in simple words

To begin with, we propose to define the term "biometrics" and how it differs from digital user authentication.

According to Wikipedia, biometrics is a system for recognizing people based on one or more physical or behavioral traits. Thus, there are two types of biometrics: physical and behavioral.

What type of voice is it? Most of the readers will answer that this is a physical feature of a person.

Indeed, first of all, the nature of speech is determined by the anatomy of the body, such as the size and shape of the mouth, and the structure of the vocal cords. In addition, the voice is susceptible to changes depending on the state of health.

However, don't be in a hurry to answer.

Remember your voice when you are afraid or happy about something. And what happens to him when you feel angry or in a hurry? What notes can you highlight in it when communicating with a one-year-old child?

The volume, timbre, pitch, and intonation of the voice strongly depend not only on physical features but also on the emotional state. The voice, along with facial expressions and body movements, serves as a means of expressing emotions. Therefore, it refers to physical and behavioral biometrics at the same time.

Voice biometrics is a way to authenticate a person through the use of voice as a unique biological characteristic. Other names for this method: voice verification, speaker recognition.

How voice recognition technology works

The method of voice biometrics lies in the field of artificial neural networks. Unlike face-ID and a fingerprint scanner, it is easier to deploy, and compared to OTP and 2FA, it is more reliable and faster.

Voice biometric systems work by memorizing these features. This means that first, a person needs to create a voice print (cast). It is stored in the database of the system through which the verification takes place.

Voice biometrics is carried out in two ways:

1. The user needs to repeat the text that is saved in the system when recording the voice impression.
2. The client uses random phrases, and the system reads only voice parameters.

Next, the system breaks the user's speech into audio frames and converts them into digital files, comparing them with the source material.

Outcome

Thus, you do not need to remember passwords, download applications for protection, and even take off gloves in the cold to enter your personal account or withdraw a certain amount. All you need is your voice, which the system recognizes even in a distorted form. In addition, modern algorithms can analyze about 80 voice parameters!