Processing Sensor Data

FIG. 4 illustrates how sensor data is processed by the authentication system in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the authentication system provides a query component 314 for its clients, such as authentication agent 304 and other clients 442, to query for purposes of verifying identity. Authentication agent 304 and other clients 442 can access query component 314 to verify a user's identity for a number of reasons, including logging on, checking out, and performing other secure actions.

During operation of the system illustrated in FIG. 4, sensors 401-403 collect raw sensor data 411-413 associated with a user's behavior, actions, and/or environment. Then, processors 421-422 perform signal-processing operations and other techniques on raw sensor data 411-413 to extract feature vectors. Note that processors 421-422 can be incorporated into a sensor, or can reside on a local device near the sensor, or on an entirely separate device.