Passwords could be a thing of the past if three-dimensional facial recognition technology research comes to fruition, US boffins claimed today.

University of Houston Eckhard Pfeiffer Professor, Ioannis Kakadiaris and his Computational Biomedicine Lab (CBL) report that they have taken “a radically new approach” to biometics.

The team has developed face recognition software, dubbed URxD, that uses a three-dimensional snapshot of a person’s face to create a unique biometric identifier.

The scientists report that URxD can be used for everything from gaining access to secure facilities to authorising credit card purchases. The identification procedure is as effortless as taking a photograph, according to the team.

“Accuracy is the name of the game in 3-D face recognition,” Kakadiaris said. “What makes our system so accurate is the strength of the variables that we use to describe a person’s face.

“Remembering dozens of personal identification numbers and passwords is not the solution to identity theft. PINs and passwords are not only inconvenient to memorise, but also are impractical to safeguard. In essence, they merely tie two pieces of information together; once the secret is compromised, the rest follows. The solution is to be able to tie your private information to your person in a way that cannot be compromised.”