Iris Recognition System from Panasonic

You gotta love it when the stuff of science fiction novels becomes the stuff of reality. Retina scans have been used as sci-fi security devices as long as I can remember, and this week, Panasonic's Biometrics Group let us know that it has introduced the real thing: an iris recognition camera system called Authenticam. The new system combines Panasonic's video camera with Iridian Technologies' Private ID iris recognition and authentication technology. Panasonic says it can be used in a range of security applications including network access, automated banking, credit card authorization, health records management, and ID authentication. As you can guess, Authenticam captures an image of the user's iris and stores it in the host's computer system for verification and integrates with Iridian Technologies' KnoWho Server to manage large databases of enrolled users. It has a suggested list price of $239 including the software bundle and will be marketed through Iridian Technologies in the U.S. Your eyes could soon become a commodity...