It's almost 8.00 a.m. and you are late for your flight. Stopping at the entrance to the airport car park you place your thumb onto a small glass panel. In just a few seconds the barrier rises and a parking ticket, complete with your name, address and an imprint of your face, pops out.
Running towards the terminal building, your movements are followed by several security cameras. Each one scrutinising your face and comparing it with a database of international terrorists.
Finally you reach the check-in desk, and hand over your EU personal identity card. Placing your right eye 20 cm from the iris scanner, a computer confirms your identity and you can proceed to the plane.
Does this sound like science fiction? Well, you may be surprised to find out that these biometric security devices could be coming to an office block or airport near you.
"After what happened in the US you just can't look at security in a conventional way," says John Burke, chief executive of Air Rianta.
"We are looking at the use of new biometric technologies." Though he admits it's too early to say when they will be introduced.
Already airports in Iceland, Germany and the US are using iris scanners and facial recognition devices to validate travellers identities and scan for terrorists. This list is set to grow as companies react to the events of September 11th.
Biometrics, which measures individuals' physical or behavioural characteristics to recognise or authenticate their identity, is being promoted as a key weapon in the war against terrorism.
The most popular biometric characteristics which are used to authenticate people's identities include finger/thumb prints, iris, voice and facial characteristics.
"Terror is not faceless," according to Joseph Atick, chief executive of US biometric technology firm Visionics.
In the wake of the attack on the US, Dr Atick claimed public confidence could be restored by using facial-recognition technologies at airports. He also issued a paper, Protecting civilisation from the faces of terror: A primer on the role facial recognition technology can play in improving airport security.
The company's scanning technology works by building up a database of known terrorists faces and using cameras and computer software to identify them at public places.
The only problem is most security experts believe Visionics' claims are exaggerated and biometrics alone cannot stop determined terrorists.
"Biometrics certainly have their place, but it is limited," says Seβn Reynolds, chief executive of Rits, a Dublin-based security consultancy which recently upgraded Air Rianta's security systems.
"For facial recognition to work, the identity of the terrorist needs to be known and already stored on a database," he said. "There is also the problem that terrorists will try to conceal themselves."
Recent tests in the US show facial recognition technology is still relatively inaccurate. Therefore it is probably more suited to supporting traditional forms of security, such as employing skilled human guards, than as a frontline security tool at airports.
Despite these drawbacks, British police are using facial recognition technology to aid their surveillance of hooligans at soccer matches. It is also used in the UK to scan CCTV images after a criminal incident has occurred, as computers can scan hundreds of hours of video tape without tiring.
A Garda spokesman would not comment on whether the Irish police use biometrics in the Republic. But it seems more likely that farmers are the first "early adopters" of the technology here.
Members of the Irish Farmers Association already use voice-authentication technology to place and take orders of cut-price commodities via mobile phone.
By using their own voices to validate the order, farmers do not have to use credit cards. Rather, money is debited directly from their bank accounts by the commodity firm.
This biometric technology is developed by Dublin-based firm Buytel, which has also sold voice security systems which authenticate prisoners in the UK and US.
Irish technology company Baltimore Technologies has reported a surge of interest in its own security software - which uses digital certificates for authentication - since September 11th.
The interest surrounds the idea of implementing national identity card schemes, says Mr Aidan Gallagher, a Baltimore executive. "It is a great way to improve security."
Baltimore is developing technology for a pilot ID card scheme in Italy which will deploy smartcards to enable people to access public services as well as providing added security.
"It's not just about protecting security, its also about enabling services," says Mr Gallagher.
Most European countries already have some form of ID card but the UK and the Republic in the past have rejected these due to concerns over civil liberties.
But following the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, the issue of ID cards was raised by the British Home Secretary, David Blunkett, who said he is giving the idea "fairly high priority".
Mr Donncha O'Connell, director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, describes these types of measures as objectionable.
"No amount of ID cards will stop suicide bombers," he says. "It will inevitably lead to the institutionalising of two-tier citizenship."
But the Council of Europe is already moving to harmonise electronic security in the EU. Next month Ireland will be asked to sign up to a European Convention on Cybercrime in Strasbourg.
This convention, although not dealing specifically with biometrics, defines several new offences, such as the forgery of digital signatures, and hacking. It also will attempt to standardise and strengthen the powers which police forces have to conduct investigations.
Undoubtedly, this will mean the deployment of more sophisticated security technology with a knock-on impact on personal privacy. The only questions are: will the technology work, and how will it impact on our privacy?