The new method is being developed by a team from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in collaboration with the tech firm Ilía Sistemas. According to the scientists, every person’s individual body odor is unique, and can be used to identify an individual with an accuracy rate of more than 85 percent. 

The team believes the odor-identification method may provide a more subtle alternative to the current biometric techniques like fingerprints and iris scans—techniques that are often associated with criminal records and could cause people to be reluctant to participate. Odor sensors could be used in a stall that the person simply walks through, providing a less invasive system that many people may not even be aware of.