Fingerprints, the century-old standard for making positive identifications, isn’t so positive in the days of computer graphics and artificial intelligence.
In the near future, we’ll rely on finger vein patterns instead.
Researchers at the University of Buffalo have developed a 3D scanner that reads the patterns of blood vessels in a finger pad. Instead of a two-dimensional fingerprint, the scanner adds the dimension of depth, which, the developers say is an impossible combination to falsify with today’s technologies.
The scanner uses a technique called photoacoustic tomography. A laser light shines into the finger. When the light encounters a blood vessel, it emits a faint “poof” sound, similar to the “whoosh” a puddle of gasoline makes when it ignites.
An ultrasound detector then collects the three-dimensional pattern of sounds and uses an algorithm to construct a digital record of the vessels’ placement in space.
In tests of 36 people, the system correctly identified the person 99 percent of the time, with accuracy increasing in tandem with the number of finders scanned simultaneously.
TRENDPOST: As the new ID system is miniaturized, it could be used in smartphones or wearables to provide biometric identification instantly, a security concern that will become more important in an ever-more technological, cyber-insecure future.
