Sarnoff Labs develops covert iris scanner
Checkpoint system inobtrusively scans the irises of approaching pedestrians; infrared strobe light combines with a series of cameras to create a series of images; effect of sunglasses unknown
Despite the privacy implications, one of the best features of RFID technology in identification cards is that it allows security officials to scan multiple cardholders at once. Such an approach is extremely useful at border crossings, where carloads of passengers can be identified before they reach the guardpost. A similar principle obtains at the U.S.-Mexico border, where license plate readers identify cars while they wait in line to be processed. To our knowledge, however, no system has yet been devised to do something similar with biometrics. Until now, that is.
Obviously, one cannot easily scan a person’s fingerprints from a distance, but as most people walk about with their eyes open, one can see that flying iris scans might be possible. So thinks New Jersey-based Sarnoff Labs, which has applied for a patent for a scanning method that scans irises as the pedestrian approaches the checkpoint, without them knowing. The system uses an array of compact, high resolution cameras pointed in slightly different directions and each focusing on slightly different distances. When the subject comes into range — three meters or so — an infrared strobe light begins to flash in synchronicity with the camera exposures. The result is a bank of various images, one of which should provide a sufficient view of the iris. What happens if the subject is wearing sunglasses was not explained.
-read more in Barry Fox’s New Scientist report; read Sarnoff’s patent application
