Fingerprint Scanner Detects The Living From The Dead March 14, 2008

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Movie heroes are screwed. That old ploy of chopping off a baddie’s hand or finger to bypass security scanners is old hat thanks to the release of a new scanner that can tell live fingers from dead ones.

Futronic’s new FBI-approved, USB 2.0 scanner uses the company’s Live Finger Detection (LFD) technology which can detect live human fingers and reject non-live, or fake, fingers reliably. Apart from the formerly live fingers, fingers made from silicone, Play-Doh, etc. are also rumbled. According to the company:

“A special generator inside the scanner sends a signal to the finger. This signal goes beyond the human skin surface to hit the inner layer which is then reflected to a sensor inside the scanner. And the reflected signal from live human fingers is very unique compared to that from other material. Futronic has successfully developed the technology to differentiate the reflected signal of live human fingers from that of other material.”

So, next time your bank is being robbed and your finger is heading for the garden snips, be sure to point out the ‘dead finger’ features of your new FS88 scanner.-Martin Lynch

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