EyeLock’s new handheld iris scanner wants to lock down your home computer

Iris scanners are still mostly found in military installations and certain airport security checkpoints, but a new product from EyeLock wants to take them into your home. The Myris USB Authenticator is an iris scanner designed to plug easily into everyday computing, allowing for a quick scan of your eye in place of a password, nearly wherever you’d use one. The strongest use case is an OS-level login, but the device can also work with individual applications like email, online banking, or a universal password manager.

The science behind iris printing is more reliable than fingerprinting in many ways, but the complexities of getting a good print often nudge users into other biometrics. In a break from conventional iris scanners, Myris requires users to pick up the device to use it, positioning their iris in a one-way mirror on the bottom of the device. It’s a potentially tricky move to master, but allays some otherwise tricky privacy concerns: because the camera is on the bottom of the device, it will be pressed against the table whenever it’s not in use.