Feasibility of Transformer Model for User Authentication Using Electromyogram Signals

Abstract

Transformer models are widely used in natural language processing (NLP) and time-series data analysis. Applications of these models include prediction systems and hand gesture recognition using electromyogram (EMG) signals. However, in the case of time-series analysis, the models perform similarly to traditional networks, contrary to expectations. This study aimed to compare the performance of the transformer model and its various modified versions in terms of accuracy through a user authentication system using EMG signals, which exhibit significant variability and pose challenges in feature extraction. A Siamese network was employed to distinguish subtle differences in the EMG signals between users, using Euclidean distance. Data from 100 individuals were used to create a challenging scenario while ensuring accuracy. Three scenarios were considered: data preprocessing, integration with existing models, and the modification of the internal structure of the transformer model. The method that achieved the highest accuracy was the bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM)–transformer approach. Based on this, a network was further constructed and optimized, resulting in a user authentication accuracy of 99.7% using EMG data from 100 individuals.