Iris and retina scans

The iris has a fine texture that — like fingerprints — is determined randomly whilst the foetus is in the womb, thus making every person's irises unique.

An iris scan works by taking a high resolution image of the iris, converting the pattern into a mathematical representation and comparing this to a template of digital images.

Because the process is similar to taking a photo, it is fairly unobtrusive and can be performed up to a few metres away from the individual. However, as with facial recognition technology, there is still the problem of 'live tissue verification', which means that the system needs to be supervised.

The United Arab Emirates has used iris recognition at all its border controls since 2001.

Retinal scanning overcomes the problem of 'live tissue verification'. However, it is far more intrusive and is susceptible to problems of its own.

The retina, located in the back portion of the eye, is supplied with blood by a complex structure of capillaries which typically remain unchanged throughout an individual's lifetime.

As with thermal imaging, these capillaries can be mapped by casting a ray of low-energy infrared light into a person's eyes as they look into the scanner's eyepiece.

A difficulty with this approach — aside from high equipment costs and low user-friendliness — is that retinal patterns can be altered by certain diseases such as diabetes, glaucoma, cataracts and retinal degenerative disorders.

Capetonian teenager Simone Abramson recently patented a retinal scanning technique which involves taking pictures of the fundus (which consists of the retina, optic nerve and vascular system) using a Topcon Fundus camera.

Microchip implants

A microchip implant is a radio frequency identification device (RFID) chip that is encased in silicate glass and implanted in an individual's body. The implants can be used for storing personal information including medical history, allergies and contact information.

Some hospital in the US have been using implants in their patients so that hospital and emergency workers can have immediate access to a patient's medical history regardless of the location and state of the patient.

Microchips implants could also be used in cars or homes equipped with scanners to eliminate the necessity for keys or tags which are easily lost or stolen.

However, the problems with microchips should not be overlooked. Firstly, unless they are encrypted, they are very vulnerable to hackers. Secondly, the chips themselves present some health concerns in the form of allergies, infection or incorrect implantation. And finally, they are highly susceptible to strong electric fields such as an MRI.

Biometric passports

Biometric passports — a combined paper and electronic identification document that uses biometric information to authenticate travellers — are less vulnerable to fraud than paper documents. Furthermore, they allow governments to digitally track the movements of individuals, which would make terrorism more difficult.

Information is stored in a RFID chip in the passport. Biometrics currently used in these identification systems are facial, fingerprint and iris recognition. The chip stores a digital image of each biometric feature; however, the actual comparison of biometric features is performed by the electronic border control systems. Like microchip implants, these chips are susceptible to hackers if they are not encrypted.

A number of countries have already begun using biometric passports, notably in the EU, the US and Australia. Somalia is currently the only African country to have an 'e-passport'.

A major inhibitor in the growth of biometric identification systems has been the high cost and, for the most part, they have been reserved for military and government applications.

However, they have slowly begun to infiltrate our daily lives, with health clubs, universities, businesses and banks all beginning to use biometric systems.