Original story
Wired 21.2.2007
Increasing demand for new recognition and tracing devices
New generation of human tracing and identification equipment rapidly capturing markets.
The most common recognition and ID devices are still the conventional physical key and the audio key. Alongside these familiar tools, fingerprint recognition and retinal identification, based on the structure of the holder’s eye, are both gathering ground rapidly.
Retinal ID is becoming particularly common in the accessing of data systems. This has become possible with the leap-frogging development in resolution from digital cameras, which now allow the system to scan would-be users in this fashion. A London-based bank introduced retinal identification already in 1997 in some of its ATM outlets. The latest recognition system to be introduced is the smelltector, which recognizes its target on the basis of olfactory molecules.
The great majority of detection and recognition devices are installed to monitor property such as real estate, vehicles, or information. According to police reports collected nationwide, the use of such equipment has clearly reduced the level of physical crime and facilitated the task of tracking down criminals, since these days all detection and anti-theft devices can be installed and hidden in such a way that anyone using or attempting to use the guarded item illegally will inevitably leave a trace.
Police departments now recommend that all vehicles regardless of age be fitted with radio positioning devices equipped with mini-cameras. In order to defeat early attempts at radio jamming, American and European police laboratories have worked together to develop a new system, in which such radio beacons use rapidly changing frequencies. Interference on a larger scale can also be intercepted using satellites in geostationary orbit.
In the case of private homes and for some vehicles, police advise a combination of micro-cameras and fingerprint recognition. In remote locations and areas with a high incidence of crime, police are also encouraging the installation of smelltectors. This branch of the security industry is currently investing heavily in the development of olfactory identification and tracking methods.
Alternative uses have been noted for the tracking devices that are being sold alongside detection equipment. The bulk of these devices are today being sold to households, but some of the newer uses show an impressive leap of the imagination. A compass that operates using advanced olfatronics is a useful tool for tracing a missing spouse, for picking wild mushrooms, and for numerous other tasks that have previously required trained dogs. Fingerprint recognition and smelltecting have already been tried out in experiments to optimize the operation of elevators in large apartment blocks and offices, and in other applications where there are obvious advantages to be had from knowing the typical routes and behaviour patterns of users in advance.
“I’ve been very pleased with my new olfacompass. In spite of the hundreds of brands on the shelves, my compass helps me to find exactly the sort of lubricating oil I need for my car”, commented former British rock guitarist Mick Taylor, also known as a vintage car enthusiast. Ivor Beak, the sales manager of OdorSeek Ltd., one of the trailblazing British companies working in olfatronics, put forward the theory that burglars have attempted to combat the threat to their livelihood by washing more regularly. The sad truth, however, is that no amount of washing can hinder the recognition process. The latest generation of devices are able to ignore deodorants and after-shaves, soaps, shampoos and other similar scent sources, and the individual’s personal smellprint is almost always identifiable.
Toteuma-arvio 2026
Toteuma lyhyesti
- Ilmiön toteuma: 5/5
- Toteuma viiden vuoden tarkkuudella: kyllä; arviointi-ikkuna on 2002–2012
- Toteuma väljemmällä aikahorisontilla: kyllä, erittäin vahvasti
- Ilmiön ydin: ihmisiä tunnistetaan ja jäljitetään biometrialla, kameroilla, laitteilla ja sijaintitiedolla yhä useammissa arjen tilanteissa.
Sormenjälki-, kasvo- ja iiristunnistus sekä puhelinten ja tunnisteiden sijaintiseuranta ovat levinneet rajoille, maksamiseen, työpaikoille ja kuluttajalaitteisiin. Myös väärinkäytön ja valvonnan riskit toteutuivat.
Johtopäätös: ennuste toteutui erittäin vahvasti sekä teknisesti että yhteiskunnallisesti.