A new way to encrypt a signature and fingerprints into a passport may lead to shorter lineups at customs. “This technology will give security authorities the confidence that documents are not fake,” says U of T chemistry professor Eugenia Kumacheva.
Researchers at U of T and Princess Margaret Hospital created a thin film of polymer material from capsules containing three different dyes. Each capsule has three layers, yet is just a few millionths of a centimetre in diameter. The dye inside each layer is sensitive to light at a particular wavelength – ultraviolet, visible or infrared. With high-intensity irradiation, Kumacheva uses different wavelengths to encrypt several different patterns onto a security document.
To the naked eye, the identification document might reveal only a photograph, but other detection devices can locate additional ID, such as a signature or fingerprints. “It gives a very high level of data encryption and is relatively cheap to produce,” says Kumacheva, who has secured a patent on the technology, which could be available within five years.
Recent Posts
People Worry That AI Will Replace Workers. But It Could Make Some More Productive
These scholars say artificial intelligence could help reduce income inequality
A Sentinel for Global Health
AI is promising a better – and faster – way to monitor the world for emerging medical threats
The Age of Deception
AI is generating a disinformation arms race. The window to stop it may be closing