The eye is the window to the body; that much has been clear to optometrists. By looking into the eye, an optometrist can detect diabetes, brain tumors, high blood pressure, and glaucoma. But, we didn’t know that it could hold the key to a lot more.
A biometric is a measurement of something on the body used to identify the individual, fingerprints or DNA, for example. The eye-world has always known that the iris is a biometric, but Oleg Komogortsev recently discovered that eye movements are unique. According to his research, even if two people trace the same path with their eyes, the exact way their eye moves is different. Different people will move their eyes among different points of interest in different sequences.
The research focused on two specific features of eye movements: fixations and saccades. Fixations are the times when people linger their gaze over a point on the screen, or when the focus on something. Saccades are the movements between the fixations.
Komogortsev’s research raises possibilities of using eye movements as possible passwords. In concord with iris scanners, the eyes could become one of the most secure ways to safeguard computers, rooms, or safes.
Be sure to keep your eyes healthy, these scanners are being tested for use in airports and banks. Although they are a few years off from a launch date, better safe than sorry when the time comes around!
