Forget iris and fingerprint scans -- scanning noses could be a
quicker and easier way to verify a person's identity, according
to scientists in the United Kingdom. Unlike other facial
features used for biometrics, such as eyes or ears, noses are
difficult to conceal and also aren't changed much by facial
expression. Adrian Evans and Adrian Moorhouse, from the
University of Bath Department of Electronic & Electrical
Engineering, decided to investigate whether images of people's
noses could be used to recognize individuals. They used a
photographic system called PhotoFace, developed by researchers
at the University of the West of England in Bristol, to scan the
3D shape of volunteers' noses and analyzed them according to six
main nose shapes: Roman, Greek, Nubian, Hawk, Snub and Turn-up.
Instead of using the whole shape of the nose, the researchers
used three characteristics in their analysis: the ridge profile,
the nose tip, and the nasion (the section between the eyes at
the top of the nose). They combined th