Neurotechnology of Lithuania , a provider of biometric identification technologies, has introduced VeriSpeak, the company's new voice identification technology.

VeriSpeak is available in the VeriSpeak Software Development Kit and as a new voice identification component in the latest MegaMatcher 4.1 multi-biometric SDK.

VeriSpeak combines voiceprint identification and phrase-recognition technologies, enabling the development of two-factor voice verification and authentication systems that can identify a person by biometric voice pattern and use of a passphrase.

VeriSpeak can be used with a regular microphone, making it a simple, cost-effective mode of secure identification for stand-alone or Web-based systems such as online banking and payment transactions, the company reported.

VeriSpeak voice identification technology can be used in combination with other biometric modalities in MegaMatcher 4.1, including face, fingerprint, palm-print and iris, for added flexibility and security.

Neurotechnology said the system makes it easy to verify a person's identity using both the individual's unique voiceprint and a pre-set passphrase. For example, a person's voiceprint can be enrolled in the system along with that person's unique speech pattern in pronunciation of a passphrase. When the person requests access to a physical area or protected information, he or she simply speaks the password into the microphone and the system checks for both voice and phrase authenticity prior to allowing access.

"Today's laptops, mobile phones and many other devices are ready for owner identification by voice without any additional hardware costs," said Algirdas Bastys, voice identification project scientist for Neurotechnology. "By combining voiceprint with phrase identification techniques, VeriSpeak can reliably verify a person's identity using a phrase that contains only a few words.

"The VeriSpeak component is a powerful tool for … detection and text-dependent speaker identification."

Using VeriSpeak in combination with the VeriLook face identification technology in MegaMatcher, provides a very high degree of identification reliability. This voice-face identification combination can be particularly useful for remote, Web-based applications because it enables highly accurate identification of a live person, in real time, without requiring any special bio-metric scanning equipment, the company said.

Neurotechnology said its new MegaMatcher 4.1 SDK, offers a number of feature enhancements, including support for a wider range of IP surveillance cameras. Features include improved fault tolerance and high availability through the use of secondary and/or parallel MegaMatcher Cluster Servers. Use of one or more secondary servers and spare nodes provides fault tolerance for all cluster components.

The secondary MegaMatcher Cluster server keeps information on the state of the main server and is activated if the main MegaMatcher Cluster Server becomes unavailable due to network issues, a crash or other hardware problems, ensuring that work continues without interruption.

When parallel MegaMatcher Cluster Servers are used, MegaMatcher 4.1 enables automatic data synchronization between the parallel systems.

MegaMatcher 4.1 incorporates multiple biometric modalities - VeriLook (facial), VeriFinger (fingerprint), VeriEye (iris), palmprint and VeriSpeak (voice identification) - all of which are built on a common architecture and feature a common programming interface.

With the addition of VeriSpeak, developers can develop systems that use any of these tightly integrated, fast and highly accurate biometric components in combination with voice identification and passphrase recognition technology for increased flexibility, accuracy and reliability in both physical and online security applications, Neurotechnology said.