New fingerprint reader scans prints without touching skin. The world's first scanning device that reads fingerprints without touching the skin will hit the market this autumn, Mitsubishi Electric said.
The device could be used to enhance security measures at financial institutions and airports.
The new scanner uses light from a red light-emitting diode (LED) to read fingerprint patterns under the surface of the skin. Red LEDs are typically used in a wide variety of industrial uses, such as in automotive electronics or medical instruments.
Ordinary fingerprint sensors take prints using physical contact between the finger and a glass plate.
In some cases, however, such physical fingerprint readers are unable to take an accurate print when the subject's skin is rough, wrinkled or covered in perspiration.
In the new LED device, the user places a finger in the reader with the nail facing up. A light scans through the finger and analyzes the convex and concave patterns of the skin layer below the surface.
Financial institutions, eager to find ways to circumvent thefts of personal data and cash, are anxious to find devices like the Mitsubishi Electric reader to provide better identification at ATMs
That program to take biometric information from hazmat truckers I mentioned earlier, isn't for Canadian drivers. It doesn't apply to them, however they have been working towards their own security card as well, and they are talking to the US to get Canadian drivers up to speed.
Hazmat fingerprint rule doesn't include Canadian drivers - for now.
Amber Alert is getting into the high tech action with AmberView, a 3D image of the missing child to view for better accuracy. The computer can detail every feature of the child's face, and the viewer can rotate and resize and manipulate the image to see exactly what the child looks like.
It makes for a better way of recognizing a child while they are still alive, rather than wait to verify fingerprints after a death.
As part of the USA Patriot Act Monday, truckers have begun getting fingerprinted and have criminal background checks performed on them. These are truckers who haul hazardous materials around the US, because those trucks could be used as weapons by terrorists.
The problem affecting this project is that there are very few and far between fingerprint stations, and some truckers may have to make a detour. Hopefully that is just temporary.
Looks like the US-VISIT Exit program is starting to bang on all 4 cyclinders. It was the last phase to be implemented, and after several months of 'checking out' at particular airports, they've added on a few more.
Statistics to date: 407 criminals or immigration violators have been identified.
...to see the one of many applied biometrics. In fact, the way it determines if an insect is nearby, it could almost be called, Insect Recognition.
UK citizens who believe in a national ID should be glad they have MP Martin Salter on their side. He believes a properly functioning ID card will be beneficial for the UK, especially when it's loaded up with three biometrics!
Don't forget to sign up for Acuity's BMI eUpdate. It's a free email about the industry, with no vendor or technology bias. Because well... you get that here. This is a fingerprint biometric company's weblog, there's no way around that! So at least here you might learn some new things...
Looking for something to watch tonight? Try to catch ABC's Primetime Live. There's a segment called 'No Place to Hide'. Sounds lovely.
Peter Jennings examines the government's effort to harness technology in the name of security, and the price we might pay if we fail to balance security and freedom in the digital age.
No doubt they will talk about biometrics in some part.
The conference sessions held at CSI's annual conference back in November are available online. You can view them free after registering. They're all about information security. Whether any of the speakers brush on biometrics, I'm not too sure about.
Here's another generic article about the biometric industry, with a little emphasis about voice biometrics halfway through. In many instances, such as in call centers, voice recognition is ideal.
The OLD US Secretary of Homeland Security said that we needed an international standard for biometric technology as it pertains to travel. Hasn't this already been said? Well, maybe not by him, but somewhere... and they're already making efforts towards that by way of their actions.
Anyways, he's not gonna be around much longer. Judge Michael Chertoff is the most recent nomination by the President - we'll see if he actually qualifies this time.
Wanted: international biometric technology standards -- Ridge.