Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor to Boost Smartphone Security: Study

Advertisement
By Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: 30 June 2015 18:24 IST
Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor to Boost Smartphone Security: Study
A new 3D imaging technique of fingerprints through an ultrasonic sensor promises to take the security of smartphones to another level.

Fingerprint sensor technology currently used in smartphones like iPhone 6 produces a two-dimensional image of a finger's surface, which can be spoofed easily with a printed image of the fingerprint.

The ultrasonic sensor eliminates that risk by imaging the ridges and valleys of the fingerprint's surface, and the tissue beneath, in three-dimension.

"Using passwords for smartphones was a big security problem, so we anticipated that a biometric solution was ahead," said professor David A. Horsley from the University of California, Davis.

"After Apple announced a fingerprint sensor in new iPhone in 2013, it was inevitable that more would follow," he said.

Advertisement

The basic concepts behind the researchers' technology are akin to those of medical ultrasound imaging. They created a tiny ultrasound imager, designed to observe only a shallow layer of tissue near the finger's surface.

"Ultrasound images are collected in the same way that medical ultrasound is conducted."

Advertisement

"Transducers on the chip's surface emit a pulse of ultrasound and these same transducers receive echoes returning from the ridges and valleys of your fingerprint's surface."

To fabricate their imager, the group employed existing micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, which smartphones rely on for such functions as microphones and directional orientation.

Advertisement

They used a modified version of the manufacturing process used to make the MEMS accelerometer and gyroscope found in the iPhone and many other consumer electronics devices.

Beyond biometrics and information security purposes, the new technology is expected to find many other applications, including "low-cost ultrasound as a medical diagnostic tool or for personal health monitoring", Horsley said.

The new technology was described in the journal Applied Physics Letters.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Nothing Phone 3 to Be Equipped With the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC
  2. OnePlus Nord 5 and Nord CE 5 Colour Options, Key Features Leaked
  3. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Price in India Discounted for a Limited Time
  4. Samsung Galaxy M36 5G to Launch in India Soon; Design, Price Range Teased
  5. Meta Partners With Oakley for New Smart Glasses; to Launch on June 20
  6. Sony Bravia 8 II QD-OLED TV Series Launched in India: See Price, Features
  7. OnePlus 15 May Get a Big Design Overhaul
  8. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Series Design Revealed in New Leaked Renders
  9. Poco F7 5G to Launch in India and Global Markets on This Date
  1. Nintendo Direct Livestream Featuring Donkey Kong Bananza Announced for June 18
  2. Amazfit Active 2 Square Debuts With 1.75-Inch AMOLED Display and Up to 10 Days Battery Life
  3. Samsung’s Exynos 2500 SoC Confirmed to Feature Satellite Connectivity Ahead of Galaxy Z Flip 7 Launch
  4. Nothing Phone 3 Confirmed to Come With Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC Ahead of July 1 Launch
  5. Samsung Galaxy M36 5G India Launch Teased; Rear Design and Price Range Revealed
  6. Reddit Unveils Reddit Community Intelligence, Its Suite of AI-Powered Ad Tools for Enterprises
  7. Sony Bravia 8 II QD-OLED TV Series With Acoustic Surface+ Audio, Studio Calibrated Mode Launched in India
  8. Asus Unveils Refreshed Vivobook S16, S16 OLED Laptops in India Alongside Vivobook S14: Price, Features
  9. Apple Watch Ultra 3 Said to Launch This Year; Product Roadmap for Next Three Years Leaked
  10. Google Unveils India-Focused Safety Charter, Shares How It Is Using AI to Combat Online Frauds and Scams
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.