New LCD Panels can Scan Fingerprints

I believe I discussed the Window Pane display from Samsung at FPD International 2008, and it appears this Tech show has brought another interesting piece of technology: a 2.8 inch LCD panel with the ability to scan fingerprints.

This device could be used on cellular phones, as a way of guarding the information within. This way, if a cellular phone is stolen, the thief won’t be able to access any of the information within.

This new technology was created by AU Optronics Corporation of Taiwan, and it also has another application: measuring ultraviolet light. What you can do is hold it up to the light, and it will express it as a number from 1 to 11. This will come in handy for those people who don’t want to go out in the sun.

Okay, while we are on the subject of biometric fingerprint scanners, I would like to bring up the subject of getting past them. Is it true that you can spray them with something, or breathe on them, and the last fingerprint will appear? This apparently can open anything fingerprint protected, but I have no idea if that is true. I have seen this technique work in two movies, including last summer’s Get Smart.

Let’s go back to the subject of the fingerprint/ultraviolet light scanner. It is still under development, with no word of when it will be out on the market.