These will be encoded with identifiers capable of being sensed or scanned by hand-held tools. The iris-scanning procedure, as used on humans, is simple and painless. The subject stands a foot or so away from the camera and looks into the scanning device. The camera scans the iris, the colored ring that surrounds the pupil and contains easily visible yet complex and distinct combinations of corona, pits, filaments, crypts, striations, radial furrows, and more. The scanned pattern is then digitized and compared to previously recorded patterns.
Identification is achieved in two seconds and verification in three.
No two irises are alike. In fact, the iris is said to be more individual than a fingerprint. According to the patent holder and manufacturer, IriScan of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, no other biometric technology can rival the combined attributes of mathematical certainty and nonintrusive operation offered by iris recognition. Tokyo Oki Electric Company is working with IriScan to adapt the system for use on thoroughbred horses. The idea may appeal to other thoroughbred racing jurisdictions.