A British scientist has proposed that the unique pattern inside each individual's ear could be used as a biometric identifier, in the same way that sub-dermal fingerprints are used.

It is a common fact that your ears and nose carry on growing throughout your life, however your ears in particular do not change that much as you get older, unlike other body parts. This gives them a unique advantage for identification purposes in terms of age and expression.

The recent Governmental plans to introduce ID cards and passwords has drawn light on advances in biometrics, which is typically taken from fingerprints, teeth, and the retina.

Tensor have been incorporating sub-dermal fingerprint technology into their systems since October 2002 in order to register users for its time attendance, access control, and visitor monitoring systems.

Facial recognition used by the police has been described as the biggest forensic breakthrough since DNA, however the problems of people's faces changing has prompted a fresh search for a new source of biometric recognition.

The discussion goes on, but you can be assured that if and when a new alternative to the humble fingerprint is discovered, Tensor will not be far behind in providing the equipment to cope with it.