A University of Albany assistant professor is making the case for a new approach to user authentication on consumer devices based on sweat.
In a newly published paper, Jan Halámek argues that skin secretions offer individual amino acid profiles that are unique enough for identification purposes. Paired with additional data such as patterns in sweat levels during certain times of day, the information could offer something close to a spoof-proof mode of a biometric authentication.
While biometric technology is increasingly popular on consumer devices in the form of visual modalities such as facial, iris, and fingerprint recognition used for authentication, Halámek’s investigation is part of a growing body of research into alternative biometric technologies. A group of major firms in the APAC region, for example, has even been exploring smell-based sensors, though that effort is focused mainly on other application areas besides device security, such as healthcare and agriculture.
As for Halámek’s sweat-based authentication technology, he says his team has successfully tested it in the lab, but that they now need to work with engineers who can incorporate it into electronic devices.
Source: University of Albany
(Originally posted on FindBiometrics)
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