MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) sensor platform developer InvenSense, Inc. has launched a new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Called the UltraPrint, the device will be ready for OEM integration on a large scale in 2017.
The UltraPrint’s value proposition revolves around an abstruse technological innovation: The addition of aluminum nitride-based piezoelectric capacity to InvenSense’s CMOS-MEMS Platform. The bottom line for OEMs is that this allows for a “dramatic advancement in acoustic imaging technology,” InvenSense says, with its platform able to scan detailed fingerprints on the dermal and epidermal level at high volumes. Moreover, this can be done through glass or metal, and it works even under conditions in which the surface is covered in oils, moisture, and other such obscuring substances.
It’s a timely solution as more advanced fingerprint scanning solutions begin to emerge as a counterbalance against the spoofing vulnerabilities of more commonplace sensors. Academic biometrics researchers and companies like Qualcomm Technologies have recently been showing off the 3D mapping capabilities of their own ultrasonic sensors, while others have been investigating the potential of infrared technology for more advanced fingerprint imaging. With its claim to greater accuracy and reliability, InvenSense’s UltraPrint could prove appealing to OEMs as they prepare future generations of devices incorporating fingerprint biometrics, such as smartphones.
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October 29, 2015 – by Alex Perala
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