Nose Scanners — the New Face of Biometrics? 115
Posted
by
CmdrTaco
from the check-out-that-schnoz dept.
from the check-out-that-schnoz dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Forget fingerprints and ID cards, this photo story shows how the latest thing in biometrics is nose scanning! Bath university researchers have claimed that the nose will soon be able to be used as a way of identifying a person. Apparently the 'PhotoFace system captures a 3D image of a person's face by taking several photos lit from different angles to throw shadows on the face and then building a model of facial features. The software determined that there are six main nose shapes: Roman, Greek, Nubian, Hawk, Snub and Turn-up.' Some cool pictures make this worth a click — but what happens if a person breaks their nose?!"
DNA (Douglas N Adams, that is) would have loved it (Score:2, Interesting)
This would finally have enabled Douglas Adams to use the awesome power of his nose for the forces of good.
He had a famously large hooter.
See this link [tdv.com] for Douglas's own views on his nose.
Like this? (Score:2, Interesting)
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/08/dna-samples-used-by-crime-labs-faked-in-research-lab.ars [arstechnica.com]
Granted, they say it carries markers of having been lab-tampered, but that detecting the markers requires currently-unusual sophistication. Interesting, though.
Re:Biometrics waste of time. (Score:4, Interesting)
Tried to find a link, but its apparently just too obscure, so I'll go from memory. Carl Reiner was presented some sort of lifetime achievement award by Mel Brooks, who played it as if Reiner had been a total fake all those years, and this was the last straw. The camera cut to shots of protesters with signs reading "Reiner isn't funny", and then Mel accuses Reiner of forcing him to wear a fake Jewish nose. Brooks then proceeds to remove his fake rubber nose, revealing a decidedly less ethnic one underneath, pointing at it and shouting "I have a gentile nose!".
Of course the gentile nose was a fake one on top of his actual nose. But if Mel Brooks can rock not one but two fake noses long enough to present an award, then airport security should be a piece of matzo.