Uniqueness of bare feet and its use as a possible means of identification

Abstract

In order to study the uniqueness of barefoot impressions, a computer database has been constructed using inked barefoot prints from volunteers. The data consists of 19 different measurements and a tracing of the impression of each foot. Searches through the present database of 4000 impressions produce an apparent match only if the margin of measurement error is set at an extremely large value. In these few cases, however, a visual examination of the ‘matched’ prints is sufficient to show that they are not the same.