Covert iris scanner (where is the collective discussion/vote on this?)

[Dover]

It seems Big Brother is galloping along without bridle or oversight. Gives "oversight" a whole new meaning...

Covert iris scanner

Sarnoff Labs in New Jersey, US, has been working on a clever homeland security system for the US government. It scans people's irises as they walk towards a checkpoint, without them even knowing it.
Current systems require a person to stand still and look directly into a single digital camera from close range. The new system will instead use an array of compact, high resolution cameras, all of which point in slightly different directions and focus at slightly different distances...cont'd

http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn11110-invention-covert-iris-scanner.html

[zonkers]

1. 1 word. Sunglasses.

[peacebird]

2. preferably mirrored reflective sunglasses.....

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. wonder if very thick glasses would also do the trick. n/t

[zonkers]

4. How bout these...

[dipsydoodle]

7. Yes that and one of these masks

[Hekate]

9. That ought to do the trick. nt

[Thor_MN]

5. Buttons with pictures of Irises. Lots of them.

[Irreverend IX]

6. Minority Report is one step closer to reality... nt

[Up2Late]

8. It's just a Patent Application (translation= Pipe dream)

The Optics alone, to make something like this, would make it much too expensive to produce on a large scale, though price has never really been a problem with out so-called Government, I have to admit.

BTW, sunglasses wouldn't help stop the flashes of IR light they are talking about. IR passes easily through colored sunglasses, though some cheap sunglasses actually filter it out sometimes.

Here's an article about turning a regular SONY CCD video camera in to one that shoots in IR: <http://www.kaya-optics.com/products/applications.shtml>

Here's two pictures that demonstrate the effect:



This is true, I know a guy who tested this. ;)(wink)

[UnyieldingHierophant]

11. It could absolutely work, iris recognition devices don't use

IR...nowhere in the patent application does it specify IR. If the iris wasn't "presented" to the system I think it would be hard for the algorithm to obtain enough minutiae points for positive identification, but with the number of cameras proposed I guess it could be possible. As for cost, facial recognition systems are already in use...It wouldn't be prohibitive.

[Up2Late]

12. Did you even READ the linked article before replying?

"IR...nowhere in the patent application does it specify IR..."

You do know that IR and "...powerful infrared strobe light..." are the SAME THING don't you!?!

And the difference between getting "...a clear, high-definition image of the target's iris..." from 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) away, when a person is moving and doesn't know you are trying to photograph their iris, is so much more difficult than getting a photo clear enough for Facial Recognition in a crowded airport that it's not even worth wasting the time to research it.

I know, why don't you go to the Mall with your digital camera and try taking a High-res pictures of the people walking through the mall, and when you get a photo that clear enough to use for Iris identification, post it here and we'll take a look at it so you can show me how easy it was. I bet you can't do it.

Invention: Covert iris scanner

* 16:27 05 February 2007
* NewScientist.com news service
* Barry Fox

Covert iris scanner

Sarnoff Labs in New Jersey, US, has been working on a clever homeland security system for the US government. It scans people's irises as they walk towards a checkpoint, without them even knowing it.

Current systems require a person to stand still and look directly into a single digital camera from close range. The new system will instead use an array of compact, high resolution cameras, all of which point in slightly different directions and focus at slightly different distances.

As a subject walks into range, a sensor triggers a powerful infrared strobe light. The strobing is synchronised with the camera exposures, illuminating pictures of a subject's face thirty times per second, to create a bank of different images.

At least one of these shots should provide a clear, high-definition image of the target's iris. Clarity could also be enhanced by combining two similar shots. Sarnoff reckons this could be done at a distance around 3 metres, and a database could be queried fast enough to sound the alarm if the subject warrants a closer check. Let's just hope the target is not wearing sunglasses.... <http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn11110-invention-covert-iris-scanner.html>

[lapfog_1]

10. My favorites...