Tech Universe: Friday 21 October
18.05.12
IRIS MATCH: Researchers from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana have found that iris scanners may be able to do more than just determine the identity of the person whose eye is being scanned. Their system was able to determine with 90% accuracy whether a person was Chinese or Caucasian. They had less success determining gender, but expect accuracy to increase as they identify common data points. Iris scanners analyse 1024 sample regions of the iris and generate a code of binary numbers. A 70% match is sufficient to determine an identity accurately. The chance of a greater than 70% match between 2 irises is less than 1 in 10 billion. Two eyes, two irises, 7 billion people on earth — that make your iris pretty much unique. New Scientist has more.
HYDROPHOBIA: We all know someone who's spilt coffee or wine on their computer keyboard. We've all heard the cries of anguish. Korean scientists hope to prevent that anguish with their superhydrophobic surface of nanorods made from zinc oxide. The nanorods work a bit like bristles, separated by air. They keep water droplets off by 'bouncing' them away. Next the researchers hope to protect devices that are completely submerged. Just being able to use my phone in the rain without anxiety would be a good start.
Source: New Zealand Herald