A
public iris scanning device has been proposed in a patent from
Samoff Labs in New Jersey. The device is able to scan the iris of
the eye without the knowledge or consent of the person being
scanned.
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Iris
recognition is a
biometric identification system that
requires a high-resolution picture of the irides of the subject's
eye. Pattern recognition software is then used to match that picture
against future
iris scans.
Iris scans
are considered highly accurate; current
iris recognition algorithms have an
incredibly low false match rate. Good quality scans result in a
"false match" less than one time per one hundred billion.
The significant
advantage of the newly proposed system is that it allows iris scans
to be taken without the knowledge or participation of the subject.
Read the relevant quote from the patent application:
A method and
apparatus for obtaining iris biometric information that provides
increased standoff distance and capture volume is provided
herein. In one embodiment, a system for obtaining iris biometric
information includes an array of cameras defining an image
capture volume for capturing an image of an iris; and an image
processor, coupled to the array of cameras, for determining at
least one suitable iris image for processing from the images
generated for the image capture volume. The image capture volume
may include a plurality of cells, wherein each cell corresponds
to at least one of the cameras in the array of iris image
capture cameras. A subject within the capture volume is
repeatedly imaged to produce a plurality of images of the
subject. The plurality of images are processed to extract at
least one clear image of the subject's iris. The clear image is
then processed to, for example, identify the subject.
The
availability of a public iris scanning device could greatly alter
the nature of public spaces. In the 2002 movie Minority Report,
filmmaker Steven Spielberg shows Tom Cruise's character walking
through a mall. As he does so,
public
iris scanning devices repeatedly identify
him, and then target him for personalized advertisements. Note that,
in the film clip shown above, a "false match" is caused by surgery -
Cruise's character has both of his eyes replaced.
