If you're like me, you probably lie awake at night fearing that somebody will try to cut off your fingers for use in a finger-scanning biometric device.
Futronic, a Hong Kong company, says its new Live Finger Detection technology ends that scenario:
Futronic uses active sensing technology to detect live human finger. In Futronic optical fingerprint scanner, a special signal is emitted to the finger to be authenticated. This signal goes beyond the human skin and then returns to sensor inside the scanner. The returned signal of a live human finger is unique compared to that from any other material. Futronic has developed an algorithm to differentiate the returned signal of live human finger from that of all other material. As a result, Futronic optical fingerprint scanner only captures the fingerprint of live fingers and rejects all other material that puts on it. Fake fingers made from silicone, rubber, play-doh, etc, cannot be used to get access through Futronic optical fingerprint scanner.
And dead, severed fingers, of course.
Now if only they'd do something similar for retinal scanners. I'd hate to have one of my eyeballs plucked out ...
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You've watched way too many
You've watched way too many action thrillers!
My favorite ..
Was an "Alias" episode, where an incompetent office drone has to be talked through scooping out some dead guy's eyeball for use in a retinal scanner and he squishes the first eyeball by mistake (fortunately, of course, the corpse had a spare).
Retinal scan "live eye" detection
Just a small LED that flashes your eye will trigger contraction of the pupil that could be monitored to ID a "live eye", it'd be VERY tricky to emulate with any fraudulent attempt.