International. A group of Japanese researchers have developed a novel olfactory sensor biometric system that analyzes compounds in breath samples to create a unique profile.
Scientists at Kyushu University in Fukuoka used an array of sixteen sensors to detect 28 different compounds viable for measurement and identification, the process then feeds the data through a machine learning system that analyzes the data and generates a profile.
In separate sample groups of 6 and 20 people, the system was able to accurately match profiles with individuals about 98 percent of the time. Like facial biometrics, it is assumed that accuracy would be affected by the use of masks.
Biometrics involving human chemical composition are not entirely new. Percutaneous gas emitted by the skin has been explored as an option, but it produces a relatively low percentage of volatile compounds, compared to breath. Researchers in Spain even proposed using body odor as a biometric; experiments they conducted in 2014 showed that B.O. yielded an 85 percent accuracy rate, and breathing research goes back even further.
Chaiyanut Jirayupat, one of the authors of the Kyushu U study, pointed to the safety advantages of chemical biometrics. "Physical characteristics can be copied, or even compromised by injury," he said, calling the smell "a new kind of biometric authentication, essentially using its unique chemical composition to confirm who you are."
"The concentration of volatile compounds in the skin can be as low as several parts per trillion or trillion, while compounds exhaled by breath can reach parts per million," Jirayupat continues. "In fact, human breath has already been used to identify whether a person has cancer, diabetes, and even COVID-19."
However, the researchers acknowledge that the project is still in the development stage. Her first round of test subjects was fasted for six hours before giving samples. Theoretically, for now, a buttery slice of garlic bread or a bite of funky kimchi could fool the system, allowing spicy spies to practice a kind of gastronomic subterfuge.
"We've developed a good foundation," said Takeshi Yanagida, who led the study and is hopeful that a larger sensor array will help combat abracadabra halitosis. "The next step will be to refine this technique so that it works regardless of diet."
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