New security system is virtually uncrackable.

What may be the greatest advance in security technology since the invention of the padlock has applications for everything from cash, credit cards, and computers to homes, cars, and secret government installations. It also is invisible to the naked eye and nearly impossible for criminals to crack. The system, called a "coded phase mask," has been developed by Bahram Javidi, professor of electrical and systems engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs. "The potential for this technology can be quite staggering," he maintains. "It can be applied to virtually anything you want to secure, easily and cheaply."

The optio-electronic system relies on a piece of film that can be as small as a dot made by a pen. The film, though transparent to the naked eye, contains millions of microscopic pixels which, when scanned by a laser beam, produce a unique pattern. This pattern must match exactly an identical pattern stored in the scanner or it is rejected.

Unlike holograms used on credit cards, the pixel pattern can not be counterfeited or replicated by utilizing a digital scanner or high-resolution photocopier. The pixel pattern also can be combined with coded biometric information such as photographs, fingerprints, or retina scans. As a result, if someone tries to use a stolen credit card, his or her biometric information immediately will disqualify usage...