User interface specialist Synaptics has developed a new ultra-slim fingerprint sensor that could fit on the side of a smartphone. Called the Natural ID FS4304, the touch sensor is only 3.5mm wide.
There are other potential applications too, of course; the sensor’s small form factor allows it to be integrated in a range of potential product designs while reducing development costs. But smartphone and tablet OEMs will likely find the possibility of embedding the sensor on the side of a device, where a user natural rests a finger for example, to be particularly appealing. Moreover, the sensor’s use of Synaptics’ Natural ID technology enables what Synaptics says is “the industry’s highest level of fingerprint security” via its SentryPoint biometric authentication system.
Synaptics has been making a name for itself with its highly adaptive and versatile fingerprint sensor solutions. The company’s IronVeil sensor, for example, stoked some excitement at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show with its integration into a mouse to demonstrate Windows Hello biometric security; and the company is also bringing its technology to unique applications in the smart car of the future.
As for the F4304, it will be showcased at next week’s Mobile World Congress among other Synaptics solutions.
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February 17, 2016 – by Alex Perala
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