Many stories involve an access control element. From modern thrillers with bank heists to ancient treasures hidden in a maze and guarded by a minotaur or a secret door to an underground city requiring a password ("Speak friend and enter" from The Lord of the Rings), gaining access to somewhere impregnable has long been a staple of storytelling.
Hollywood, and science fiction in particular, has brought many types of access control and biometric credential to the public eye. Without being side-tracked discussing the history of 'The Hero's Journey', as part of our blog series on the Future of Biometric Access Control, in this article we take a look at some examples of Biometric Access Control in entertainment media.
Biometric Credentials in Modern Movies
The Mission: Impossible franchise has often used its iconic latex mask gadget to fool menacing guards, or extract admissions from enemies who believed they were among safe company, but in 2011's 'Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation' it was combined with something even more advanced. Impossible Mission Force agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must hold his breath in an underwater facility long enough to swap-in new credentials to allow Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) access to a server with critical classified information. The facility was secured by a gait scanner, which was too precise to attempt to fool, forcing Ethan to dangerously freedive to avoid Benji being caught.
Advanced cameras, sensors, and underfloor weight detection collect the digital markers of how the user walks. The intricate combination of stride length, weight of each step, stance, posture, and body language create a unique and hard to replicate biometric credential. As this technology functions similarly to existing facial recognition technology, using markers from the whole body and not just the face, this may not be too far from becoming a reality.
This is similar to the AI system in 2007's 'Ocean's Thirteen', which is installed in a casino and biometrically scans gamblers on the floor. Their information and reactions such as heart rates, pupil dilation, facial expressions, and more are all examined to determine if any winners are winning through luck or from cheating. While this fictional example is a major obstacle for Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and the gang to overcome during their heist, real world casinos use similar technologies to detect banned players, analyse movements, and RFIDs to track casino chips.
Biometric Credentials in Sci-Fi Movies
Many science fiction novels and films also feature currently impossible or impractical solutions to biometric credentials.
In 1997's 'Gattaca', a biometric database is used to discern and discriminate against people who are conceived naturally and therefore more likely to suffer from genetic defects and those who are born without these risks through genetic selection techniques. The main character Vincent (Ethan Hawke) is barred from his preferred employment choices due to his 'in-valid' status and must use donated genetic material to pass daily tests by his employer.
In the 1990 film version of 'Total Recall', false but realistic memories are implanted into Douglas Quaid (Arnold Swarzenegger) as a form of escapism from his boring life, making him believe he is a secret agent. This procedure goes awry and Quaid is forced to go on the run. However, a twist later reveals that his current memories were implanted already, and the mundane life he wanted to escape from was overwriting his real past as a spy. This had been done to help him infiltrate a mutant resistance organisation with psychic powers that could read his mind and uncover his real identity. Biometric security would not be a problem, because he is the real Douglas Quaid. But, to fool the psychics who could detect fake memories or lies, the implanted memories would show he wasn't lying if he was questioned. While the film is deliberately ambiguous in places, the concept of false memories, brainwashing, and identity erasure to avoid detection is a very thought-provoking subject.
Multiple science fiction franchises also include variations of a 'life sign detector', checking for breathable atmospheres or survivors of a spaceship crash. Similarly, a 'breath print' that uses markers from an individual's breathing patterns have since been discovered as being unique enough to identify someone. In the Star Wars universe, data is stored in devices known as 'holocrons' that can only be opened by a force-user's power.
At Tensor, our history of adapting to current and future trends includes several world firsts! While we may not be using breath or walk biometrics (yet!), we aim to deliver cutting edge solutions, keeping pace with the rapid advancements made in Time and Attendance and Access Control. Book a free demo to find out more.