The eyes have it

THE SALISBURY POST

The poets have long considered our eyes to be windows to the soul. Now it looks like they’re also doorways to identity.

Charlotte/Douglas International Airport is one of the first in the country to experiment with a high-tech scanner that reads the unique pattern of an individual’s eye — the iris, actually — to verify identity. The system uses a small video camera that scans the eye and then compares that image to one stored in a databank, much as fingerprint patterns are sometimes used now.

So far, the system is being tested on airline staff and airport personnel, although passengers are also able to take a test pass through the equipment. If it proves successful — and supposedly it has a zero percent error rate — the eye-scanner may eventually replace passwords, pin numbers, photo ID’s and other widely used security systems.

The potential benefit for users? Shorter waits in line at check-in counters, quicker processing and tighter security. Of course, technology does have its limits: The scanner can’t deliver a decent tuna sandwich — or locate lost luggage.