Scientists from Southampton University (UK) have developed a new technique to identify people by their ears . It is called ” Image Ray Transform” , and it allows to highlight the tubular and circular structures of the ears, such as the curved helix that surrounds the upper edge of the pinna, to classify them and automatically identify individual differences .
Professor Mark Nixon, who in 2005 was the first to demonstrate that the ears were a viable biometric parameter and has participated in this new study, assures that, compared to other biometric techniques such as face recognition, the ears “have a stable structure that is maintained from birth to adulthood and that, instead of getting older, it simply increases in size . ” In addition, its shape is not altered if we change the expression of the face . The only downside to be addressed, according to Nixon, is the fact that hair can hide ears.
The tests with the new technology with rays have managed to reach a degree of success of 99.6% identifying ears. The work was presented in Washington (USA) during the Fourth International Conference on Biometrics of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers).
