Underlining Advances in Fingerprint Capture
The promise of biometrics — worry-free performance seen in the lab — was not fully realized in the field for many years. The core problem has been that conventional biometrics technologies rely on unobstructed and complete contact between the fingerprint and the sensor, a condition that is elusive in the real world, a world that can be wet, dry or dirty.
However, that was then, this is now. Multispectral imaging is a sophisticated technology specifically developed to overcome the fingerprint capture problems that conventional imaging systems have in less-than-ideal conditions. This more effective technology is based on the use of multiple spectrums of light and advanced polarization techniques to extract unique fingerprint characteristics from both the surface and subsurface of the skin. That subsurface capability is important because the fingerprint ridges seen on the surface of the finger have their foundation beneath the surface of the skin, in the capillary beds and other subdermal structures.
Unlike surface fingerprint characteristics, which can be obscured during imaging by moisture, dirt or wear, the “inner fingerprint” lies undisturbed and unaltered beneath the surface. When surface fingerprint information is combined with subsurface fingerprint information and reassembled in an intelligent and integrated manner, the results are more consistent, more inclusive and more tamper-resistant.
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Bill Spence is Vice President, Transactions, for Albuquerque, N.M.-based Lumidigm, a provider of fingerprint biometrics solutions. He can be contacted at [email protected].
