Wavefront sensing for biometric imaging

An iris imaging system, comprising:

• an infrared laser configured to project a laser spot onto a skin portion of a human face;
• a wavefront sensor;
• an iris camera;
• an optical system configured to collect scattered light from the laser spot and relay the light to the wavefront sensor, the optical system further configured to relay image light to the iris camera from an iris of the human face onto which the laser spot is projected;
• and
• at least one adaptive optical element incorporated into at least one of the optical system and the iris camera;
• wherein the at least one adaptive optical element is controlled to correct, at least in part, wavefront distortions measured with the wavefront sensor.

A method for addressing wavefront corruption in biometric applications, comprising:

• projecting a laser spot onto a skin portion of a human face;
• collecting a scattered light from the laser spot with an optical system;
• providing at least a portion of the scattered light to a wavefront sensor;
• and
• measuring a wavefront distortion with the wavefront sensor.