VCU’s new alternative to swipes? Iris cameras.

The new system, which is voluntary, is meant to serve as something of an express lane for students.

 

“We thought it’d be a nice service for students to help everybody get through at peak times,” Barr said.

 

Plus, he added, the iris cameras will give students who lose their IDs over the weekend the ability to still access their meal plans even though the ID card office is closed.

 

“There currently isn’t a mechanism for students to get a replacement ID [over the weekend] so they can access Shafer,” Barr said. “So how do they eat over the weekend? In the past, they’ve had to come out of pocket. Now they don’t have to. This backup lets them get into Shafer so they can eat.”

 

Cashiers will remain in place for those who choose not to use the iris cameras, as well as for visitors and others entering Shafer Court.

 

The iCAM 7100 iris cameras, made by North Carolina-based ColorID, take a high-definition photo of the user’s iris and then identify 220-plus unique points. It then generates a number, which is associated with that individual meal plan holder’s iris.

 

“We don’t keep pictures of your iris,” Barr said. “It’s just a number, just like your ID. Your ID has a unique number that ties it to you.”

 

To sign up interested students, the university will have stations set up at Shafer Court and elsewhere during the first couple weeks of the fall semester.

 

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