Researchers say capturing pore position could improve fingerprint accuracy more than tenfold

A team of researchers at the University of Tokyo and biometric startup DDS have developed a fingerprint recognition technology which detects the sweat pores in fingers, which they say could improve fingerprint identification accuracy more than tenfold, Nikkei Asian Review reports.

While fingerprint recognition technology traditionally uses shapes such as swirls and arcs formed by the lines on fingers, along with end points and forking lines as the features to compare, the new method involves identifying the position of pores relative to those lines. Capturing pore position requires greater resolution than that of typical capacitive sensors, so DDS developed a prototype of a high-resolution optical fingerprint sensor, capable of capturing 3,000 pixels per inch, compared to the common 500 ppi. The researchers also developed software for the sensor, which has a 6.6mm by 4.8mm surface area, and is roughly 0.6mm thick.

“Existing fingerprint authentication technology is limited in terms of precision,” said University of Tokyo professor Taizo Umezaki, explaining the reason behind development of the new technology. “Smartphones are now used for a wide range of applications, like electronic payments, so we need a simpler and more precise way of identification.”

The current cost of the technology is prohibitively more than the usual range of roughly $0.93 to $9.30 for smartphone fingerprint sensors, the Review reports, but the researchers are hopeful it can be adapted for in-display smartphone sensors, as well as applications such as car and home locks.

Despite the ubiquity of facial recognition or fingerprint sensors in higher-end smartphones, the adoption of smartphone biometrics for sensitive applications, such as bank account log-ins, has been mixed due to accuracy and security concerns.

Article Topics

biometrics research  |  DDS  |  fingerprint sensors  |  identity verification