3DMRI - Elucidating the origin of biometric authentication based on the acoustic characteristics of the ears with high resolution 3D MRI

Abstract

A world run on cash transactions is rapidly disappearing. The power and connectivity of the Internet has driven most business toward digital solutions. Paying bills and shopping is done online and paying while outside of the home is increasingly done by card or even smartphone apps. The diminished role of cash, while convenient, does require that consumers put their trust into security systems beyond their own control. Someone can safeguard their own wallet but cannot encrypt personal digital payment data. This transition has led to the vast cybersecurity industry which is constantly in need of innovation in order to keep one step ahead of nefarious actors willing to exploit weakness in the system. Digital theft and fraud, especially identity fraud, are now major concerns in the modern world. Our main defence is password protected accounts and encryption in the form of cyphers. As we have seen though, these are fallible and hackers have successfully stolen data from some of the most secure companies on the planet. To combat this, cybersecurity research is increasingly turning to biometric forms of identification which rely on the unique features possessed by every individual. Fingerprints and face scans are the most well-known and employed forms of biometric ID. For example, smartphones can be locked and unlocked with a simple glance at the screen and these methods have considerable benefits. Never having to remember a password again is one and a thief cannot decode your face like they potentially can a cypher. However, there are drawbacks, and impersonations with face ID and fingerprinting can still occur. In order to add another layer of protection, a collaboration between academia and industry is turning to an overlooked feature of the human body, being the ear. Dr Shouhei Yano is using his background studying sound localisation using earphones progressed from entertainment applications to create a new way of providing accurate, secure biometric identification.