Science in Seconds - Biometrics

Science in Seconds Know Everything RUMOURS - Biometrics Brit Trogen: Someday, losing your keys won't be possible. From fingerprints to DNA, unique physical characteristics, called Biometrics, are replacing outdated security measures. As with iris recognition, which uses infrared scans to turn the patterns of your iris into a mathematical representation, security experts often look at the face for identity clues that can act as a kind of living passport. Ears, for example, have been a viable biometric since 2005. Using a technique called the image ray transform, light rays are used to highlight the tubular and circular structures of the ear. Thanks to their complexity, and the fact that they don't change with age, aside from growing, ear biometrics can achieve 99.6 percent success in identification, even when partially concealed by hair or glasses. Another program, called PhotoFace, is used by scientists at the University of Bath to scan the 3D shape of noses, break them into one of six categories, and identify them based on three characteristics. Because the nose is so prominent on the face, and not subject to change based on facial expressions, nasal biometrics are proving to be surprisingly robust, though still in the early stages. Of course, the biggest concern with biometrics is that someone will cut off one of your body parts and use it to steal a secret government weapon, or log onto your computer. In this scenario, palms are where it's at. Using near infrared light to read the pattern of veins, a software called PalmSecure can identify individual palms with less than .008 percent false positives. And, unlike other biometrics, it won't work if someone cuts off your hand. Because if they do, the severed hand loses blood pressure, and the veins change shape, like an automatic self-destruct. Just a little bonus the manufacturers thought to mention, because in the biometrics future, the only thing that still needs securing is you. Courtesy of Science in Seconds – All rights reserved Only for educational/non-profit purposes. (Translators are invited to put their name here)