Terror has a new enemy: Nose

Experts at the University of Bath have developed a new technology to read the unique shapes of each nose and claimed it could help identify Illegal immigrants, terrorists and criminals.

The technology — a high-tech scanner known as the PhotoFace — takes four flash-lit photographs of a person’s nose lit in rapid succession from several different angles.
The nasal images are then analysed according to six main shapes – Roman, Greek, Nubian, Hawk, Snub and Turn-up. Each nose is then further tested by computer software to analyse its profile, the tip, and the nasion – the top of the nose where it meets the eye line, “The Telegraph” reported.

Dr Adrian Evans, who conducted the research, said scanning noses could be an easier way to verify an identity than iris and fingerprint scans. “There’s no one magic biometric — irises are a powerful biometric, but can be difficult to capture accurately and can easily be obscured by eyelids or glasses,” he said.

“Noses, however, are much easier to photograph and are harder to conceal, so a system that recognises noses would work better with an uncooperative subject or for covert surveillance.