ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Sci-Tech

    • How you walk could shape the future of biometrics: experts

    University of New Brunswick professor Erik Scheme, second from right, is shown in his lab at UNB where they use pressure-sensitive floor tiles to analyze people's gait in Fredericton, New Brunswick on Aug. 4, 2023. Here Scheme and Mayssa Rekik, Mitacs Globalink Intern from Tunisia, right, analyze the footsteps of Arijit Samal, Mitacs Globalink Intern from India, left, and Ala Salehi, graduate student. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray) University of New Brunswick professor Erik Scheme, second from right, is shown in his lab at UNB where they use pressure-sensitive floor tiles to analyze people's gait in Fredericton, New Brunswick on Aug. 4, 2023. Here Scheme and Mayssa Rekik, Mitacs Globalink Intern from Tunisia, right, analyze the footsteps of Arijit Samal, Mitacs Globalink Intern from India, left, and Ala Salehi, graduate student. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray)
    Share

    Canadians have been unlocking iPhones with their fingerprint since 2013 and are sometimes exposed to facial recognition software before boarding planes, but when it comes to biometric technology, Erik Scheme and Mayssa Rekik are one step ahead.

    The associate director of the University of New Brunswick's Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the advanced technologies undergraduate student are part of a team researching what could be the future of biometric security: footsteps.

    They installed electronic tiles from P.E.I.'s Stepscan Technologies at their university lab and in the lobby of Fredericton's Cyber Centre to generate a pixel-by-pixel heat map of the pressure distribution of someone's feet as they walk.

    The heel-to-toe data they are capturing will help develop 3D models of the people walking across the tiles and deep learning frameworks that can differentiate one person's walk from another to identify individuals based on gait.

    "Whether that's different footwear or carrying different objects or walking in a distracted way, we're trying to build the world's largest data set to make publicly available to the research community, so that we can move this discipline forward," Scheme said.

    Interest in biometric technology, which relies on unique physical characteristics like a person's gait, retina, face, heartbeat or voice, is growing in part because most businesses rely on keys, cards, pin codes or personnel to broker access to their spaces or systems.

    The methods often leave people rummaging through bags for keys and cards, trying to recall passwords or seeking help from system administrators or security guards, when they're without their means of entry.

    Some businesses have tried to do away with these methods by turning to fingerprint and facial scanners, but neither is completely failproof.

    Lighting conditions, masks and other accessories can challenge facial scanners, while glove wearers and people wanting to avoid touching additional surfaces in a COVID-19 conscious world pose difficulties for fingerprint-based systems.

    "Gait creates an interesting opportunity because, not only is it contactless, you don't even have to stop, you just kind of keep walking and we can authenticate you that way," Scheme said.

    "It's a new modality."

    Rekik, who has come to Canada from Tunisia for three months to help work on the gait project with the help of research non-profit Mitacs, sees several obvious uses for the technology.

    "It would be really helpful for security reasons and it can be used for airports or for entrance to a building," she said.

    While banks were once among the most interested sectors in the technology because of the large volumes of sensitive data they handle, enthusiasm around biometric systems has broadly tempered recently, said Imran Ahmad.

    The head of technology at law firm Norton Rose Fulbright attributed the pullback to a wave of U.S. litigation and controversies around the use of biometrics.

    San Francisco and Oakland, Calif. along with Somerville, Mass. banned the use of facial recognition technology by city agencies in 2019. Many of the bans were sparked by troubles the technology faced in recognizing women and racialized populations.

    Ahmad has also seen Illinois, Texas and Washington, where he's found most class actions around biometrics are happening, regulate the collection and use of such data.

    "Right now, it's sort of a wait-and-see model, like where is this going to go in Canada?" he said.

    Concerns around biometrics are part of why Scheme's team has adopted a careful approach to its research.

    Cyber Centre employees who step on the tiles had to first give individual consent to be part of the research as did a second group who visit the lab for more specialized testing, where their data is collected as they walk barefoot, in specific shoes or while carrying a backpack or briefcase.

    In both scenarios, all data is de-identified, which means it is stripped of personal information and used as part of a larger anonymous repository.

    The hope is for the research to form the basis of future biometric innovations by helping determine how unique our gait is and whether technology can detect changes to it when we face impediments or even cycle through footwear.

    "Certainly, if you fall and break your leg, it's probably going to have an issue in the same way that if you we're using a fingerprint system and you cut your thumb, they no longer work either," Scheme said.

    He believes machine learning models will eventually learn which of our gait's characteristics won't change even when someone is all of a sudden walking with a limp, slowing their pace or even ditching their heels for running shoes midday.

    But before gait-based biometrics can make their way into offices or other areas requiring secure access, companies must consider laws and other regulations.

    Canada's privacy commissioner, for example, has developed guidelines requiring anyone collecting sensitive information, including biometric data, to acquire express and meaningful consent first, Ahmad said.

    In Quebec, anyone creating a database of biometric characteristics or measurements must disclose its existence to the province's access to information commission at least 60 days before it is brought into service.

    Ahmad suspects even more regulations are on their way. Though they'll give some further pause, he doesn't think they will be a death knell for the technology.

    "Biometrics are here to stay," he said.

    "It's not something we're just going to turn our backs to ... it will be part of our lives."

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2023.

    CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

    Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    The New Brunswick RCMP has issued an alert as officers search for an armed teenager in the Moncton and Shediac areas.

    An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    Canada

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      The New Brunswick RCMP has issued an alert as officers search for an armed teenager in the Moncton and Shediac areas.

    • For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Michael Ford, Ontario's minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, says he is taking a leave of absence from cabinet to prioritize his health.

    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    • It will be the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge as a memorial is held Friday in Calgary.

    • Viewers of Jeopardy got a chance to test their knowledge of trivia about B.C.'s biggest city Wednesday night.

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    Sports

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • The Winnipeg Jets have some huge holes to fill on both offence and defence this season.

    Autos

    • An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    • Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.

    Local Spotlight

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

    David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

    Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

    • Thousands of protesters are expected to march into downtown Vancouver on Friday, demanding more action from their government to address the growing climate crisis.

    • Members of the only organized support group for the Vancouver Canucks are feeling slighted after losing their usual space at Rogers Arena.

    • There have been more reports of a Bitcoin extortion scam seeking to exploit viewers of "adult content" in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, according to the RCMP.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Michael Ford, Ontario's minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, says he is taking a leave of absence from cabinet to prioritize his health.

    • The Ford government is considering restricting Ontario municipalities from installing new bike lanes that would require the removal of lanes of traffic, a source confirms to CTV News Toronto.

    • For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

    • It will be the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge as a memorial is held Friday in Calgary.

    • China's ongoing ban on Canadian beef appears to have no end in sight, making it a textbook example of the uncertainty Canadian exporters continue to face in that market.

    • Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak at a daycare in Blackfalds has ended.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • Ottawa Fire Services says a driver has been safely extricated after being trapped following a two-vehicle collision near a high school in the city’s south end.

    • The Ottawa Police Service Arson Unit is seeking witnesses to a fire that happened early Friday morning in a two-storey commercial building in Little Italy.

    • The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    • The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    • A man who asserted his right to work in French has won his case before the Tribunal, invoking the new provisions of the province's French-language law (Bill 96) to that effect.

    • Mounties say there was an increased police presence in the Emerald Hills area of Sherwood Park on Friday morning as officers searched for a man who is wanted by police.

    • Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak at a daycare in Blackfalds has ended.

    • One person has been charged and an arrest warrant has been issued for a second in connection with an Alberta Emergency Alert earlier this week.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      The New Brunswick RCMP has issued an alert as officers search for an armed teenager in the Moncton and Shediac areas.

    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes 'indescribable' pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

    • A black bear that was tranquilized in a park in Dartmouth, N.S., has been released back into the wild, according to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR).

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • Manitoba's government says it will encourage the development of renewable energy in the province while acknowledging fossil fuels aren't going away any time soon.

    • The Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) has made an arrest following a fire that claimed the lives of two people.

    • Driving into the tunnels of Nutrien's Rocanville mine, the largest potash mine in the world by production volume, feels like driving down a lonely highway in the middle of the night.

    • A tornado in Langbank, Sask. on Wednesday was the third latest in the province on record, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

    • With the municipal election fast approaching, Yorkton’s city returning officer shared details on what people need to know before voting, and what to know if they are interested in running for city council.

    • Levels of hydrogen sulfide gas are being monitored at Brantford Collegiate Institute after a leak in their geothermal system.

    • Guelph resident, Susan Bard, is being remembered as a vibrant community advocate and volunteer who died doing what she loved – cycling.

    • The second-degree murder trial of Thomas Hamp is being adjourned until December so an expert witness central to the trial can testify.

    • A 69-year-old woman from Outlook, Saskatchewan is dead and three people are injured after a truck and SUV collided on Highway 15 on Thursday.

    • A gym teacher at a private Christian school in Saskatoon has been charged. Terra MacEwan, 44, is charged with assault with a weapon. A Saskatoon mother who spoke with CTV News says her autistic son was MacEwan's victim.

    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    • Two people emerged unhurt after a float plane had a hard landing late Friday morning on Lake Temiskaming.

    • The Elgin Community Health Hub, operated by the Thames Valley Family Health Team, is accepting new patients to a model where doctors are rarely seen.

    • Members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and supportetrs greatly outnumbered the people attending a '1 Million March 4 Children' event along Central Avenue.

    • Today, the 71 year old is marking 50 years a paramedic. He said he never aspired to move into management or a desk job, he enjoys being on the road, helping patients too much.

    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

    • Provincial police are investigating vandalism in Huntsville after the "senseless destruction" of flower displays along Main Street East.

    • A 17-year-old from Markham is facing serious charges after an August 11 shooting at a party in Caledon.

    • Windsor police say a 25-year-old mother has been charged with the drowning death of her 5-year-old child in the family’s backyard pool.

    • There is no threats to public safety following an incident involving a gun at a local high school.

    • Windsor fire is on scene at an incident on McDougall Street.

    • The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) has declared a state of emergency in all 14 of its member First Nations due to a mental health and opioid crisis.

    • In a rare move, the Greater Victoria School District Board of Education has been slapped with a ministerial order from the province requiring it to update a student safety plan – drawing concern around political posturing leading up to an election.

    • The Union of B.C. Municipalities is asking the provincial government to make transit free for teenagers.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

    • A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.

    • Lethbridge residents who live near the police range can expect to hear plenty of shots fired Wednesday and Thursday.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say three suspects from southern Ontario have been charged and drugs worth $300,000 have been seized following a traffic stop Sept. 16.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

    • A new community health profile in the Algoma District shows the area is significantly below provincial averages in a number of health metrics.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow CTV News