Biometric technique to use ear as third-party identification being investigated by British scientists.

British scientists are investigating the viability of a new biometric technique that would make use of the human ear as a way for a third party to identify the person they are speaking to.

According to a report in the New Scientist, instead of asking for passwords or pin numbers, a call centre or bank would simply use a device on their telephone to produce a brief series of clicks in the recipients ear to make sure the person is who they say they are.

The New Scientist says the idea is based on something called otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), the ear-generated sounds that emanate from within the spiral-shaped cochlea in the inner ear. They are thought to be produced by the motion of hair cells within the outer part of the cochlea. Typically, sounds entering the ear cause these outer hair cells to vibrate, and these vibrations are converted to electrical signals which are transmitted along the auditory nerve, allowing the sound to be sensed. Crucially, these cells also create their own sounds as they expand and contract.