Abstract
Single modality biometric identification systems exhibit performance that may not be adequate for many security applications. Face and fingerprint modalities dominate the biometric verification / identification field. However, both face and fingerprint can be compromised using counterfeit credentials. Previous research has demonstrated the use of the electrocardiogram (ECG) as a novel biometric. This paper explores the fusion of a traditional face recognition technique with ECG. System performance with multimodality fusion can be superior to reliance on a single biometric, but performance depends heavily on the fusion technique. In addition, a fusion-based system is more difficult to defeat, since an imposter must provide counterfeit credentials for both face and cardiovascular function.