The document defines biometrics as the automatic identification of a person based on physiological or behavioral characteristics. It lists different biometric characteristics including fingerprint, facial recognition, hand geometry, iris scan, and retina scan. It then describes several biometric recognition techniques such as fingerprint recognition, facial recognition, hand geometry, iris recognition, and retina recognition. Finally, it discusses applications of biometrics such as preventing unauthorized access, criminal identification, and improving security in areas like ATMs, cellphones, computers, automobiles, and airports.