The use of EEG as a biometrics modality has been investigated for about a
decade, however its feasibility in real-world applications is not yet
conclusively established, mainly due to the issues with collectability and
reproducibility. To this end, we propose a readily deployable EEG biometrics
system based on a `one-fits-all' viscoelastic generic in-ear EEG sensor
(collectability), which does not require skilled assistance or cumbersome
preparation. Unlike most existing studies, we consider data recorded over
multiple recording days and for multiple subjects (reproducibility) while, for
rigour, the training and test segments are not taken from the same recording
days. A robust approach is considered based on the resting state with eyes
closed paradigm, the use of both parametric (autoregressive model) and
non-parametric (spectral) features, and supported by simple and fast cosine
distance, linear discriminant analysis and support vector machine classifiers.
Both the verification and identification forensics scenarios are considered and
the achieved results are on par with the studies based on impractical on-scalp
recordings. Comprehensive analysis over a number of subjects, setups, and
analysis features demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed ear-EEG
biometrics, and its potential in resolving the critical collectability,
robustness, and reproducibility issues associated with current EEG biometrics
