Biometric systems, characterized by their high confidential levels of security, are usually based on high-performance microprocessors implemented on personal computers. These advanced devices contain floating-point units able to carry out millions of operations per second at frequencies in the GHz range, being qualified to resolve the most complex algorithms in just a few hundred of milliseconds. However, their main drawback is the cost, and the necessary space required to incorporate their external associated peripherals. This disadvantage is especially significant in the low-cost consumer market, where factors such as price and size determine the viability of a product. The use of an FPGA is a suited way to implement systems that require a high computational capability at affordable prices. Besides, these devices allow the design of complex digital systems with outstanding performances in terms of execution times. This paper presents the implementation of a SVM (Support Vector Machines) speaker verification system on a low-cost FPGA. Experimental results show as our system is able to verify a person’s identity as fast as a high-performance microprocessor based on a Pentium IV personal computer.

Peer Reviewed