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What are fingerprints?
All people have characteristic grooves on their fingertips and the inner surface of their hands, known as fingerprints. They resemble a labyrinth of seemingly chaotic grooves in the shape of longitudinal lines, bifurcations and arcs, the arrangement of which is unique for each person, thus enabling his/her almost unerring identification.
Fingerprints are most commonly associated with criminal cases, where a person suspected of a crime is subjected to a laboratory test to confirm or deny their involvement in the crime.
Interestingly, a fingerprint not only identifies a person, but can also serve as a private and completely unforgeable encryption key that can be used to secure almost anything – digital data, access to door locks, and even a gun holster. However, for all this to be possible, a fingerprint scanner is required.
What is a fingerprint scanner?
The fingerprint scanner is responsible for identifying the individual fingerprint pattern. It is a special sensor, whose task is to read the fingerprint pattern and then compare it with a previously stored pattern.
If the identification performed by the fingerprint scanner confirms the authenticity of the fingerprint, the person performing this test will be granted access to a given device or data file.
How does the fingerprint scanner work?
Although the structure of the fingerprint itself is very complex, the principle on which the fingerprint reader works is extremely simple. The device uses a special sensor, which is able to read the arrangement of grooves on a human finger with extreme accuracy. Then, based on the data obtained, a model of the fingerprint is built, which is compared with the model encoded earlier.
Fingerprint identification itself can be performed by means of several different technologies:
- optical sensor – such a fingerprint reader works similarly to a camera, exposing the fingerprint and scanning it;
- ultrasonic sensor – a fingerprint reader uses the phenomenon of diffraction and sound reflection for its operation;
- capacitive sensor – this fingerprint reader is built based on an array of microcapacitors, which change their state of charge when a finger is placed in them, thus creating a digital map of fingerprints.
Depending on the technology used, the fingerprint scanner may work slower or faster, but under normal conditions its accuracy remains the same.
Differences appear only when the fingerprint is visibly dirty or inaccurately applied to the sensor surface. This is why phones with fingerprint readers made with optical technology require clean fingertips to work properly.
The fingerprint reader can also be used in laptops and personal computers
Biometrics is a great way to securely authorise access, something that the business sector is most aware of. This is why fingerprint scanners are being included in laptops from electronics manufacturers targeting this corporate sector.
Interestingly, the fingerprint can also be used on classic PCs – you just need to equip yourself with an external fingerprint reader. Windows 10 natively supports biometric technologies, thus enabling secure access authentication.
To configure, you’ll need to go to the settings menu and then to the ‘Accounts’ tab. The next step is to go to the sub-menu “Login Options” and select “Windows Hello fingerprint recognition”. After a short configuration the fingerprint reader will be ready for use.
