Forensics

Contactless Fingerprint Technology Almost Here

Quickly moving through security checkpoints by showing your hand to a scanner seems straight out of science fiction, but the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working with industry to bring fast, touchless fingerprint readers out of the lab and into the marketplace.

According to Home Land Security News Wire, the touchless technology offers speed and a hygienic alternative to conventional fingerprint readers. Before the contactless fingerprint technology can be used broadly, however, the products must be evaluated and proven to work with millions of existing contact-based fingerprint records.

NIST says that when it comes to biometrics — including fingerprints — the U.S. government relies on NIST to develop data format standards, best practices, and methods for certification testing and to demonstrate a new product’s ability to work with existing technology.