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Ear Scanning Biometric ID System Developed by U.K. Researchers
The future of biometric scanning may not be at your fingertips, or in front of your eyes. Apparently, it could be in your ears.As the Telegraph reports, researchers at the University of Southampton in the U.K. have now created a system capable of scanning and analyzing ear structures, which, they claim, are unique enough to accurately identify people. The researchers are hopeful that their new system could help airport security workers instantly identify passengers by scanning their ears, and comparing the results against a database of ear shapes.
"With facial recognition, the systems are often confused by crows feet and other signs of aging," lead researcher Mark Nixon says. "Your ears, however, age very gracefully. They grow proportionally larger and your lobe gets a bit more elongated, but otherwise your ears are fully formed from birth." An ear scan system would also offer passport control workers a faster, less invasive alternative to retina scanning, which requires passengers to stare at scanners from a close range.
There is, of course, one small thing that could hinder Nixon's ear-scanning system: hair. Hirsute hurdles aside, though, Nixon remains optimistic that his new technology could be incorporated into a larger, more comprehensive biometric scanning system. "In reality, I expect there won't be a single approach, but in fact a combination of different biometrics that can be taken simultaneously to identify an individual," he says.
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Comments
1
Subscribe to commentsDan NickellOct 14th 2010 4:42PM
Amar: When is the last time you were personally able to verify the use of retina scanning for personal identification? Retina scanning went out decades ago. How about iris imaging, instead? Iris imaging and identification is the current technology and displaced retina scanning 15-20 years ago. If you are going to write about subjects as a professional journalist, you should be current in your understanding of the technology you are talking about.
FYI, iris imaging no longer requires "...passengers to stare at scanners from a close range..." Even older system can make a determination in 1-2 seconds. New technology can perform iris identification at a distance 5-6 feet while the subject is walking..."Iris On the Move" ((IOM) and not staring at all.
It would be instructive if you would query the source of your information (University of Southampton..??) and determine the number of data points they use in their template. This number will immediately facilitate the computation of the reliability statistics associated with the ear technology (and any other biometric system).