You could soon unlock your phone simply by holding it up to the side of your face . Researchers have created a sensor that can recognise the unique shape of your ear , your palm or any other body part you want to use to access your device . Called Bodyprint , the technology turns a standard touchscreen into a biometric scanner removing the need to specialist hardware such as fingerprint readers or infrared cameras . Scroll down for video . Researchers at Yahoo Labs in California have created a sensor that can recognise the shape of your ear or any other body part you want to access your device ( shown ) Bodyprint was devised by Christian Holz , Senaka Buthpitiya , and Marius Knaust from the California-based Yahoo Labs . Details of its algorithm are included in their paper , Bodyprint : Biometric User Identification on Mobile Devices Using the Capacitive Touchscreen to Scan Body Parts . The Salt card is designed to end the tiresome task of manually unlocking a smartphone or tablet by automatically making it come to life whenever the user is nearby . The credit card-sized gadget also locks devices again as soon as a user moves out of range at a distance of ten feet ( three metres ) . Salt connects to an app on a user ’ s Android handset or iPhone via Bluetooth and also tells them if they have strayed too far from their wallet , where the firm suggests the Salt card is stored . The card was created by Illinois-based duo Joel Paglione and Niko Zistakis.. They claim it will save people around 53 hours over a year , based on the belief that the average phone user unlocks their phone 150 times a day . 'Recent mobile phones integrate fingerprint scanners to authenticate users biometrically and replace passwords , making authentication more convenient for users , ' explained the researchers . 'However , due to their cost , capacitive fingerprint scanners have been limited to top-of-the-line phones , a result of the required resolution and quality of the sensor . ' They continued that while the input resolution of a touchscreen is around six dots per inch ( dpi ) - meaning it ca n't capture the level of detail in a fingerprint - the surface area is larger than a more advanced reader . This allows the touch sensor 'to scan users ’ body parts , such as ears , fingers , fists , and palms by pressing them against the display . ' To accept an incoming call , users would only need to press their ear against the phone . During tests with 12 participants , Bodyprint classified body parts with 99.98 per cent accuracy and identified users with 99.52 per cent accuracy . This accuracy was highest when scanning the ear due to its more unique shape and size . It ’ s not just ears that could be used for identification – your first , phalanges ( in your fingers ) , palm or just your fingertips could also be used ( shown ) . This means that just gripping the phone could unlock it for you . A video demonstrating the technology revealed Bioprint can also be used to add multiple users to a single device . So , for example , if something required dual identification then both people could provide it . It ’ s not just ears that could be used for identification - your fist , phalanges ( in your fingers ) , palm or your fingertips could also be used . This means that just gripping the phone could unlock it for you . There 's no news yet on when the feature might be made available to manufacturers , but the team says their next step is to continue testing . To accept an incoming call , users would only need to press their ear against the phone ( example shown ) . During tests with 12 participants , Bodyprint classified body parts with 99.98 per cent accuracy and identified users with 99.52 per cent accuracy .
Yahoo Labs in California reveals new ways to unlock your device . Simply by holding it to your ear , their user can recognise your ear . It can also use other electronic parts like a finger or a palm to access your ear . It removes the need for specialist hardware like fingerprint readers .