Buzzword: Biometrics

What it means. Biometrics is a science that has developed methods of using one or more unique physical characteristics—fingerprints, irises, voices, facial features—to identify and recognize people. The characteristics are recognized by a sensor and converted into digital form. In the case of iris recognition, the sensor might be a digital camera, whereas with fingerprints, a touchpad scanner would be the sensor.

Biometrics represents a brave new world in personal identification and security. While PINs and passwords are based on what you know, and keys and smart cards are based on what you have, biometrics is all about who you are. This genetic basis makes biometrics a highly secure and convenient way for people to protect their possessions, right down to their personal identities.

Why the buzz? Biometrics used to be the stuff of science fiction (think of Captain Kirk using voice recognition to control the Star Trek Enterprise), but the technology is in wide use today, frequently with personal electronic devices. A growing number of laptop computers, including the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510, are already equipped with biometric sensors. And, you can buy fingerprint sensors by themselves or in portable flash drives to add to any PC. In Europe and Asia, fingerprint-recognition is practically standard on cell phones. It should be huge in North America too, but not until mobile banking, whereby you'll use your cell phone to pay for items at the register, goes mainstream.

Similarly, door locks of the future might rely more on biometrics than conventional keys or security codes. At the 2008 International Builders' Show, my colleagues and I encountered many companies displaying keyless locksets. We haven't tested the devices, but the KwikSet SmartScan (shown being programmed; watch the product-preview video to see how the SmartScan works) and the New Biometric Solutions Biolock are two that caught our eye.

Even the government is keen on biometrics. In a 2006 speech on immigration reform, President Bush told a crowd at the Yuma Sector Border Control Headquarters in Arizona, "We need a tamper-proof ID card [for all temporary workers] based upon modern biometrics."€ Elsewhere, biometric-driven security measures are already in place. For example, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security takes a photograph and fingerprint image of most foreign visitors entering the country, and the Transportation Security Administration is testing out retinal scans and fingerprint identification at airports.

We're not sure if biometrics can make the country safer, but the technology could be a boon to home or computer security.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Read our list of essential steps to avoid identity theft. If you're not ready to invest in biometric locks for your home, our coverage of door locks has plenty of information on the traditional kind.