Future cars to recognize owners by their butts?

In the near future, will cars – and even planes – identify their occupants through their butts? Japanese engineers came up with the biometric system that identifies a passenger via the unique shape of their butt, tech site Wired.com reported. "Anytime someone gets behind the wheel, the system analyzes the shape of their behind. If it isn’t your rear end in the seat, the car isn’t going anywhere," Wired.com said (http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/12/biometric-car-seat/). Developed at the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology in Tokyo, the seat has 360 sensors that measure pressure and create a 3-D image of one's butt. Wired.com said the engineers claim an accuracy of 98 percent. It cited a report from business newspaper Nikkei showing the researchers hope to commercialize an anti-theft system based on the seat in two to three years. On the other hand, a separate article on tech site CNET said the seat may also have uses in an airplane. "No need to show your ticket or appeal to a flight attendant to boot someone out of your coveted window seat," it said. CNET said the researchers claim the butt-based system helps reduce the psychological burden of traditional biometrics, such as iris scanners or fingerprint readers. Meanwhile, it said another application the researchers are investigating involves pressure sensors for feet, which can allow or deny access to a room. — LBG, GMA News