Researchers at Siemens AG have tackled a new biometrical technique to authorize user access to computers, mobile phone and teller machines. The so-called fingertip sensor recognizes and evaluates the characteristic patterns of a fingerprint in only half a second, the company says. While companies such as SGS Thomson SA are working on similar identification systems, Siemens says the advantage of its system is that it’s based on CMOS technology, which is used for the manufacturing of integrated circuits. Since it’s small and flat it can be integrated in a chip card, said Siemens executive Hartmut Runge. This simplifies manufacturing. The sensor’s surface resolution comes to 500 dpi, which means it complies with all currently prevailing standards for fingerprint-recognition systems. It can recognize about 50 shades of grey and can make the image available in digital form with the help of an A/D converter. Siemens will begin developing a wide range of applications for the sensor in 1998 including cars, cellular phones, buildings and computers.
