How biometrics could change security

Biometrics could be a major force in providing better security systems and combating data loss in the future, according to an ECS researcher.

Biometrics covers a range of measurable biological characteristics, including fingerprints, iris patterns, even ears, and the way people walk, which can be used to identify individuals.

Research into the biometrics of gait analysis has been pioneered at ECS by Professor Mark Nixon and Dr John Carter, and their work is featured in an article and video on the BBC web site.

The BBC reports that Professor Nixon and his team have designed a biometric tunnel which employs eight cameras that feed data to sophisticated modelling software which collect the data. Professor Nixon is currently enlarging the size of the team's database by collecting information from a wide range of people.

Gait analysis is gaining interest from the security services, and it has already been admitted as evidence in UK courts.