When you pick up your phone, blink gently at the camera, and the screen unlocks with a "click"; when passing through airport customs, you don’t need to repeatedly take out your documents—just one glance at the scanner and you’re through in seconds. These seemingly magical actions all rely on a secret hidden in your eyes: the iris. This part of the eye, which we rarely notice, is becoming a more reliable "identity code" than fingerprints or passwords.
If you look closely at your eyes in the mirror, you’ll see a colored ring-shaped structure surrounding the black pupil—that’s the iris. Its color, determined by pigment cells, can be brown, blue, or other shades, like a natural "contact lens," but its role goes far beyond aesthetics.
The iris stabilizes around 8 months after birth and remains unchanged for life. What’s even more remarkable is that no two people in the world have identical iris patterns—even identical twins have subtle differences. Its surface is covered with complex folds, crypts, and radial stripes, like a "natural QR code" meticulously designed by nature, with every detail unique to an individual.
The process of iris recognition is as simple as taking an "ID photo" of your eye, roughly divided into three steps:
Step 1: Take an "infrared selfie" of the iris
Iris recognition devices emit soft near-infrared light, which is almost invisible to the human eye, to illuminate the iris. A built-in camera then quickly captures a high-definition image of the iris—even if you’re wearing glasses or contact lenses, the light can penetrate the lenses for a clear shot.
Step 2: Extract "password features"
Computer algorithms act like "codebreakers," extracting key features from the iris image—such as the direction of a fold or the distribution of a set of stripes. These features are converted into a unique string of numerical codes, known as an "iris template." This template only records features, not the complete iris image—like a blueprint of a key’s tooth pattern, not the key itself.
Step 3: Match to "unlock"
When you need to verify your identity, the device repeats the first two steps to generate a new iris template, which is then quickly compared with the stored template. If they match, it’s like a key turning in a lock—identity confirmation is completed instantly, taking less than a second.
Compared to the commonly used fingerprint recognition, iris recognition is like an "upgraded ID card," with obvious advantages:
1.Resistant to "wear and tear," valid for life
Fingerprints can become blurred due to work, injuries, etc., and fingerprint recognition may fail for the elderly or manual workers. However, the iris, hidden inside the eye, is hardly damaged by external factors, making it stable for use from childhood to old age.
2.Superior anti-counterfeiting, resistant to "forgery"
Forging fingerprints with silicone molds is not difficult, but replicating an iris is extremely challenging. Recognition devices detect the iris’s dynamic responses—for example, the pupil constricts in light, and the iris’s blood vessels have faint blood flow signals. Photos, videos, or even 3D-printed eyeball models can hardly pass verification.
3.Non-contact, more hygienic and efficient
Fingerprint recognition requires pressing a sensor, which feels cold in winter and may harbor bacteria. Iris recognition, however, only requires you to look naturally at the device—no physical contact is needed, and it’s done in a second. This is especially useful in scenarios like the pandemic, where reducing contact is crucial.Iris recognition has a significantly lower false acceptance rate than fingerprint recognition and offers flexible recognition distances, usually working accurately within 30 cm to 1 meter without needing to get too close.
Iris recognition is already quietly integrating into our lives:
At your doorstep, iris access control lets you open the door with a glance, no key needed. In high-risk areas like mines or factories, only authorized personnel’s irises can activate equipment, preventing misoperation. Even in important exams like the national college entrance examination, iris recognition quickly verifies examinees’ identities to prevent proxy testing.
In the future, with technological development, it may be applied in more areas: smart cars could use iris recognition to identify owners and automatically adjust seats and navigation preferences; hospitals could quickly retrieve medical records via irises to protect patient privacy; and even in digital inheritance, your social media accounts and virtual assets could be safely transferred to heirs through iris verification.
Many people worry: if iris data is leaked, wouldn’t the risk last a lifetime? There’s little need to worry. Regular iris recognition systems only store encrypted "iris templates," not original images—like converting a key’s tooth pattern into a code. Even if a hacker obtains the template, they can’t restore complete iris features, let alone forge a "fake eye" that passes verification.Moreover, national regulations explicitly classify iris data as "sensitive personal information." Companies must obtain your express consent to collect it, and unauthorized disclosure will result in severe penalties.
From one key for one lock, to a string of passwords protecting accounts, to now "eye-scanning" for access, methods of identity authentication are becoming more convenient and secure. Iris recognition is like issuing everyone a "lifetime biological ID card"—hidden in your eyes, carrying your unique imprint, it quietly guards our digital lives. Perhaps in the near future, "taking a glance" to complete all identity verifications will become a common way of life.
