Some of readers of
this article have certainly had an opportunity of using so called
credit card terminal (through it credit card users can pay in
shops or restaurants). The device possesses a keyboard, display,
card reader, eventually a printer, is capable of connecting with a
bank computer and check solvency of the card's holder, but the
most importantly it can compare the entered PIN with the reference
number encoded in the card. This is to prevent execution of
transactions by unauthorized people. However it is commonly known
that this does not provide too much of an obstacle for greater and
greater number of frauds. Many specialists today are of an opinion
that the truly effective protection could only be a technology
allowing an infallible recognition of the card's holder.
For some time now
many firms have been working on this problem. They have been
trying to create devices that could recognize people through
analysis of their voice, facial features, iris pattern, and
primarily fingerprint lines. Especially the latest possibility
seems to be very interesting. Not only because fingerprint lines
provide infallible identification of an individual and do not
change over time, but also because the chances are that the
devices required for that could be small and simple in operation.
There is also some hope that they could not be deceived?
Devices capable of
recognizing people certainly have not gained popularity yet, but
even now one can announce beginnings of a new branch of industry
called "biometry." Analysis of situation in this branch
is not the purpose of this article, I only would like to introduce
a technology which gives a chance of fulfilling all and any
requirements and even offering much more. For I believe that the
devices whose construction the technology enables will soon become
popular - although they will often remain out of sight. For they
can be integrated in many of presently existing items in such a
way that it will be difficult to notice that they have been fitted
with new functions. Their user will not have to worry too much
about being recognized - this may happen to some extend by itself.
This technology has
been being developed in a Wrocław's firm Optel and utilizes
ultrasonic waves for analysis of pattern of fingerprint lines on
bulbs. Researchers of this firm were the first who proposed
employment of ultrasonic waves for this purpose and they showed
that those waves serve this purpose particularly well. For
creation of devices of practical use there were required many
years of work. Really interesting, however, will be the series
version of this device whose prototype can be ready in the second
half of the current year.
The device will be
comprised of electronics and a normal glass plate, which will have
to be modified only on the edges and therefore it could be used
also for other purposes. Here there is employed the phenomenon of
the sound waves that move in the plate changing their form when
the plate is touched by some object. The changes are registered
and the gathered information facilitates reconstruction of an
image of the object, which has been pressed down on to the plate.
Because the numerical procedures that are utilized there employ
ideas taken from holography, it can be said that this device is a
sort of an ultrasonic holographic camera (as the matter of fact
the only one of this kind in the world).
It is easy to notice
that such a plate will "see" not only finger bulbs but
also will recognize their location. Thus it can replace a keyboard
or mouse. It can also of course recognize location of e.g. the tip
of a pencil and to follow its movement. Thus it will also
facilitate a function of a graphical board enabling drawing or
recognition of handwriting. However this would not suffice for
identification of people - fortunately enough sound waves can both
recognize the materials getting in contact with the plate and
penetrate the finger itself. This allows ascertaining the
qualities of the finger: If it is live and not artificial by
"seeing" whether (and how) blood is circulating in it.
In such a situation it does not seem as frauds could be left with
any chances ?
As anyone can see
the future credit cards terminal could be fitted only with a
"sensitive glass plate" possessing a display on its back
and of course some content of electronics. Also the card reader
can be spared its usual wear as information, which should be read
from the card would be placed there in form of a relief. Thus it
could be seen the same way as fingerprint lines could be seen.
"A sensitive
plate" could find use also for different purposes - not only
in conjunction with credit cards: Placed at a door it could serve
a purpose of an access control device (although seemingly it would
not differ at any extend from a normal glass pane), it can replace
computer keyboards, mice and graphical pads (it could look at the
same time similar to today's touch screens, but there is no
obstacle that it could be used as a table top). In a miniature
form it could also serve a function of a button starting up e.g. a
machine only when it is pressed by an authorized person. And if
there are still people for whom those perspectives seem not
interesting enough, maybe the use of this technology in door locks
fitted with a handle that would turn only when held be an
authorized person could spark their imagination?
