Iris Scanner Specs

YKinase

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Jul 29, 2013
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I've not been able to find any information about how the iris scanner works. I don't yet have the phone, so this may be obvious already.

I know "iris scanning" uses near IR light, so I assume there's a LED that is probably invisible to the eye (but probably not to video). Which takes me to my question: is the sensor for the iris recognition that powers Windows Hello the front facing camera?
A follow-on question, if yes, would be how we can control the near IR LED (again, assumptions) and read/display just the near IR wavelength. This could open up new imaging application possibilities.
 
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Skyway

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I've not been able to find any information about how the iris scanner works. I don't yet have the phone, so this may be obvious already.

I know "iris scanning" uses near IR light, so I assume there's a LED that is probably invisible to the eye (but probably not to video). Which takes me to my question: is the sensor for the iris recognition that powers Windows Hello the front facing camera?
A follow-on question, if yes, would be how we can control the near IR LED (again, assumptions) and read/display just the near IR wavelength. This could open up new imaging application possibilities.

I believe it uses the camera and the ir blaster, which is visible to the naked eye. It's on the top right of the phone and it's a big red light. The ffc is in the middle just to the left of the MS logo. I honestly don't know how you would control it.
 

YKinase

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Thanks Skyway - I'll see if I can dig up more info on the system. Just as an example for why I'm asking about this and what could be done:
Measure heart rate: Watch Your Heartbeat on Xbox One?s New Kinect
Molecular scanning: https://www.kickstarter.com/project...ense-a-pocket-molecular-sensor-fo/description

It may also be possible to extend the Iris scan to measure blood vessels on the surface of the eye at different angles. For example, set up by looking at the Microsoft logo, then calibrate by looking at the bottom of the phone, the sides, the center of the screen. Not sure if the accuracy and processing power are there, but you would then have gaze-based navigation. Easy enough to add a 'blink' to change the web page. It's a neat gimmick for some, but for others who have mobility challenges, this could really help, especially when coupled with Cortana's natural language processing.

Imagine Cortana intermittently checking on your heart rate: YKinase, you seem agitated. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.

**If I could change Cortana to sound like HAL-9000, I would be in heaven.
 

YKinase

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I don't know how I missed this article! Thanks for posting the link.

"In these new phones, you have the traditional higher-resolution rear-facing camera and the lower resolution front-facing camera, which you use to take pictures, selfies, and make Skype calls. Then you have an infrared camera and another camera that specifically designed to take pictures of your eyes."
Reading that there's a separate IR camera (and an additional "eye" camera?) is very good to know. Now, to get access to these! Turn the 950/XL into a tri-corder!
 

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