The Iris Recognition System is a new biometric technology that allows some passengers to pass through immigration at London Heathrow airport almost instantly, without showing their passport. In our recent article entitled Top 6 tips for getting through Airport Immigration Quickly, we talked about how using automated airport immigration services could dramatically speed up your journey through immigration at some airports. You can effectively bypass the queues as immigration and head straight through to baggage reclaim.

The following four UK airports are currently using IRIS: Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester. As Heathrow is by far the busiest airport this article will concentrate on the IRIS recognition system at Heathrow.

Essentially, everyone has a unique eyeball and by taking a photograph of this, it is possible identify individuals. This works in a similar method to fingerprints but is much more accurate. Everyone who wants to register must sign up to the IRIS scheme at Heathrow before leaving the country. Anyone over 18 can register provided they meet certain criteria. Generally speaking, all UK/EU passport holders can register as well as anyone already holding a UK visa for more than 2 months or frequent visitors to the UK.

IRIS registration is a simple process that takes 5-10 minutes at most and is available at all Heathrow terminals, after security. It involves having a photo taken of your eyes and stored on a system together with your passport details. A full list of registration lactations is available here. You only need to register once, regardless of how many times you can use the system.

When you enter the UK through immigration at Heathrow, look out for the IRIS signs. These are typically immediately before the regular immigration queue begins. You simply have to walk up to an IRIS machine, look into it and then a security door will open and you can proceed to baggage claim. That is it, a very quick and easy to use system – you don’t even need to show your passport at the IRIS machine as it is stored on the IRIS immigration database.

The data is stored for exclusive use by the IRIS recognition system and there is no need to worry about data security. Furthermore, the system uses high quality digital photos, similar to a regular digital camera, so have no negative effects. No flash or lasers are used and the system is perfectly ok to use regularly.

Overall, while queues at Heathrow immigration can exceed 20 minutes on occasion, not nearly as bad as the 1hour+ regularly faced in the USA, the IRIS recognition system drastically cuts down this time. Another great advantage of IRIS, passports are not required as the system automatically checks you passport on its record system. This saves a considerable amount of time when passing through immigration. Having used the IRIS machines at Heathrow I can attest to the fact they are extremely quick and easy to use. A must have for anyone wanting to save time on their journey.

Metal detectors at airports have traditionally been used as a way to identify dangerous objects such as guns and knives which some unscrupulous people may attempt to bring onto planes. Now there is a new weapon in the counter-terrorism arsenal – naked X-Rays.

Using a special low-intensity X-Rays, known as backscatter technology, the system sees through clothing to produce a rendered image of the body. The X-Rays penetrate clothing but bounce off of skin. The manufacturers claim that the X-Rays are so weak that there is no risk of causing damage through frequent use. While this is fantastic for detecting hidden weapons, including plastic explosives, it also means that an essentially naked picture of your body is produced.

Current security measures consist of a metal detector which means that belts, shoes, wallets, watches and other objects must be removed. This takes time and means that security lines are longer for all passengers. The new detectors will not require you to remove anything. Furthermore, plastic weapons, chemicals and drugs that are hidden on the body will be visible. It is claimed that shoe bomber Richard Reid would have been caught using the new technology.

The major controversy that surrounds this device is the ability it has to produce naked pictures of people, including children. The device is currently being trialled at London Heathrow airport where there UK press have had a field day tearing it apart. What none of them seem to mention is that the same device is already on trial by the Transport Security Administration in the USA. There it is claimed that the software blurs out the “private parts” of individuals so that it cannot be seen. This makes the whole thing a lot less controversial, but I suspect privacy enthusiasts will still have their concerns.

It is also worth noting that the images are not saved on any computer and are deleted after use. Furthermore, the person viewing the images is at a “remote” location, meaning there is less embarrassment felt by the passenger. At this stage, there is an opt-out option where passengers can instead choose the regular pat-down search. Personally I find this more intrusive than a photo but that is just my opinion.

Please use the comment box below if you have any views on this matter. Would you prefer a pat-down or a photo?