3 thoughts on “New Frontiers In Biometrics”

  2. I wonder how well this technology adapts to change, as in the case of a woman who becomes pregnant. Her backside is going to change during the course of the pregnancy and afterwards. Will the technology still be able to identify her through all of those changes? How about someone who does something like go on a cruise. It’s pretty easy to put on significant weight during a cruise. Hell, it’s pretty hard not to.

    Back in the 1980s, the Air Force opened Falcon Air Force Station (now Schriever AFB) to the east of Colorado Springs. Personally, I think they went to the state’s mental hospital and found the most paranoid person there to help design the security system. What they ended up with were the notorious entry control portals. These portals were about twice the size of a telephone booth (look it up, kiddies). You entered the portal on one side and the door locked. You swiped your badge and entered your PIN on a keypad that scrambled the numbers so no one could observe your input. You then had a retina scan while the system weighed you (to prevent anyone from trying to hide inside the portal with you). If you passed all of these tests, the opposite door would unlock and let you out. Let’s be charitable and say the system worked at least part of the time. The weight check was probably the least reliable biometic measure. It gets cold here in Colorado and people tend to wear heavy coats. Women get pregnant here, too. A lot of people ended up having to be sprung from the portals because the system just didn’t work worth a damn. They spent millions on those damned portals.

  3. I’m reminded of the Mythbusters episode where they crack a fingerprint scanner. Very easily once they figure out the method.

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