Technology has advanced at an exponential rate over the last few decades. From the miniaturisation of the microchip to the ubiquitous use of touch screen technology we’re surely living in a wondrous age.  One of the more fresh and exciting innovations is fingerprint technology – with Apple employing this technology to great effect.

Fingerprint technology explained

The new Apple iPhone 5S uses a fingerprint sensor to open the device. This sensor scans your fingerprint, matching the scanned image to a pre-defined image of your finger. Gone are the days of having to remember a code, your fingerprint is now your personal security. Every fingerprint is unique to the individual – your iPhone couldn’t be more secure.

How does it work?

The iPhone is fitted with an image capture system that is designed to capture and store an imprint of your finger, and embed that image in the swipe panel. This pioneering technology analyses the skin indentation pattern of your fingertip, comparing it to a set of pre-stored date verifying your identity. Such is the sophistication of this technology it, not only precisely records the ridges of your finger but, calculates an image of the live skin below the surface of your fingertip.

The potential implications of large scale fingerprint technology

Large scale usage of fingerprint technology may result in the death of traditional passwords. The multi-character password is an antiquated security measure. Most any password can be cracked by unscrupulous individuals with access to specialist software, no matter how encrypted the password is.

Theoretically, fingerprint scanning technology could completely eradicate the need for traditional passwords. Technology doesn’t stand still, it’s consistently evolving. The benefits of fingerprint security are far reaching and touch a wealth of different industries. From online banking shopping to any number of different security functions, the introduction of fingerprint technology would revolutionise our society.

Are there any alternatives on the horizon?

One growing field is biometric authentication. In layman’s terms this is a method where a part of your body is used to authenticate your identity. Iris scanners were at one time considered to be the holy grail of identification and synonymous with fictional views of the future. Only time will tell whether or not this technology will become mainstream, however this technology won’t be imminently introduced into mainstream society.

More recently similar technology has been proposed and investigated. Monitoring and recording the unique rhythm of a person’s heart may well be the wave of the future. Through the use of a bracelet that monitors your pulse as a manner of identification has been explored. This technology would, hypothetically be a more consumer-friendly biometric security device.

As you can plainly see we’re at the dawn of a new generation of technological enhancements that will make our lives all the richer. Exciting times lay ahead!