CRISISBOOM

canberratimes

Emdad Hossain is working on ground-breaking technology which identifies people by analysing their gait and stride. Photo: KATE LEITH

PINPOINTING a criminal by the way they walk is now within grasp, thanks to technology from University of Canberra student Emdad Hossain.

Biometrics, which uses one or more physical or behavioral trait to identify an individual, is being deployed across the world to increase safety and security at sensitive locations and to verify the identity of people tracked by surveillance technology.

Mr Hossain, a PhD candidate who came to Canberra from Bangladesh at the start of the year, has devised a system that fuses facial recognition technology and analysis of gait and stride – and it’s attracting attention around the world.

Just nine months into his studies, the 27-year-old has been busy presenting papers at international conferences and achieving publication in several respected journals while his project is still in its infancy.

Coming from a computer science background, Mr Hossain said he had become fascinated with biometric technology since starting his doctorate.

”I was always fascinated by the diffusion of technology in everyday lives,” he said. ”I think the most interesting thing is no one can hide their identity.

”The role of identity verification and authentication technologies and systems is increasing at a very fast pace.”

Because it can be used on low quality images, such as CCTV footage, Mr Hossain’s work is attracting interest from organisations across Europe, Malaysia and India.

Even the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation, considered to be a global leader in the field, has expressed interest in his work.