Feet could be the next big thing in security ID to get into locked spaces | 24CA News
A group of researchers is wanting on the subsequent massive step in safety authentication.
Erik Scheme is engaged on a venture that will use an individual’s gait — their method of strolling — to determine them.
Scheme, the affiliate director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering on the University of New Brunswick, mentioned the venture entails utilizing pressure-sensitive ground tiles to seize and acknowledge how somebody walks.
Scheme mentioned everybody’s gait is totally different primarily based on a number of components together with stride size, weight and the way in which somebody’s foot rolls from heel to toe.
“It’s a really rich source of information that provides really unique information across individuals,” he mentioned. “Somebody might have the same size foot, but everybody has different characteristics.”
The expertise is being examined in a lab at UNB with two rows of six pressure-sensitive tiles. When members stroll over these titles, the expertise measures the particular person’s gait and connects it to their id.
The tiles are additionally being examined in an actual world surroundings on the Cyber Centre in Fredericton’s Knowledge Park, mentioned Scheme.
Those who’ve given consent stroll over the tiles whereas going into work. Then, they use the 2 present modes of authentication on the turnstile — card swipe and palm scan — which then matches the particular person to the gait.
Alternatives wanted
Scheme mentioned one of these expertise would not have been potential a number of years in the past with out the developments in synthetic intelligence.
But with the entire different sorts of biometric expertise, equivalent to fingerprinting and facial recognition, why add one other? Scheme mentioned analysis is all the time attempting to push ahead and overcome challenges with current expertise.
“The world has been looking for other alternatives for biometric authentication systems,” mentioned Scheme.
The University of New Brunswick is testing a brand new type of biometric authentication utilizing pressure-sensitive ground tiles.
For instance, COVID-19 revealed among the challenges with pre-existing tech, mentioned Scheme, equivalent to aversion to high-touch sensors and facial recognition’s wrestle to determine folks carrying masks.
But Scheme mentioned no biometrics are absolutely resilient, together with this one.
He mentioned there are all the time going to be components, equivalent to main accidents and mobility aids, that restrict these authentication programs. But he thinks the expertise can adapt to adjustments that occur steadily equivalent to growing older, or the change in gait that may include fatigue.
“We’re quite confident that we can actually build models that are resilient to that and keep up with those changes over time,” he mentioned.
“A catastrophic sort of acute injury … might be a challenge. But … nobody’s really been able to address that, because there has just been a lack of data.”
‘A terrific studying alternative’
Mayssa Rekik, an intern on the venture, is finishing her undergraduate diploma on the University of Carthage in Tunisia, and this summer season was her first time in a analysis lab tackling actual world issues.
“It’s a great learning opportunity to be able to do this before you graduate,” mentioned Rekik.
She obtained concerned with the venture by means of the Mitacs Globalink internship, which pairs worldwide undergraduates with particular analysis initiatives in Canada. The program permits college students to see what the venture is earlier than making use of.
For Rekik, she noticed this venture as one thing that aligns with how she sees her future profession.
Eve MacDonald, one other intern who simply graduated from UNB with {an electrical} engineering diploma, mentioned a lot of her position on the venture has been wanting into traits that will have an effect on somebody’s gait.
One of the most important ones, mentioned MacDonald, is footwear. The members carry two pairs of their very own footwear and so they additionally put on a normal shoe given to all members, she mentioned.
MacDonald mentioned though the strain variations from footwear are a problem, she mentioned overcoming that’s wanting promising.
Daily variables
While age, weight, accidents and footwear would all have an effect on somebody’s gait, there are additionally some issues that folks may not consider, mentioned MacDonald.
“I tried to think of daily activities you might do that change your gait. So examples would be carrying a bag, texting on your phone, actually, even your mood impacts how you walk,” mentioned MacDonald.
Another factor she was eager about taking a look at was whether or not holding and consuming from a cup would have an effect on an individual’s gait, since folks will typically go to work with a espresso in hand.
So, she designed an experiment that explored these totally different duties to see if the expertise would nonetheless be capable of acknowledge an individual regardless of these variables. She is nonetheless accumulating knowledge on that one.
MacDonald mentioned she sees potential for this expertise in the actual world as a result of it is a extra non-public type of biometric authentication.
Future market potential
“With facial recognition … people see it really as part of their identity and a lot of people don’t like having that information captured as well as stored,” she mentioned.
“But when it comes to a footprint … you can’t really recognize someone based on a foot, like the way you walk in the pressure sense. So I think it will be that people will kind of move towards it just because of that aspect.”
Scheme mentioned he additionally sees a future the place this expertise might be a prime competitor for different biometric authenticators primarily based on the efficiency of the tech thus far.
He mentioned it is going to rely upon industrial companions the place this expertise finally ends up getting used, however there are some environments that he might see this expertise making sense for, together with well being care settings for long-term evaluation or in places the place folks may be carrying a whole lot of protecting gear or clothes they would not be capable of rapidly take off.
It may be used for simply common entry management in a spot just like the Cyber Centre, he mentioned.
“We’re early in the innovation curve for this technology, compared to other biometrics that are now integrated into your smartphone and things like that. But the performance has been very strong and we’re learning a lot as we go,” mentioned Scheme.
“As a researcher, we’re interested in the results they generalize beyond just this one single project. … But we are quite hopeful in terms of the technology as being a new alternative for the right niche applications.”
