Biometrics

Biometric fingerprint readers are becoming more and more common in the public and private sectors. There are many different biometric fingerprint readers available for both commercial and residential use. With prices dropping and popularity rising, biometric fingerprint readers are soon to become commonplace. What was once in the imagination of comic books and science fiction novels and films is now reality. Here are some of the uses for biometric fingerprint readers, both currently used and likely in the near future.

Since 2000, pay by touch systems have been implemented in California stores. More recently, the pay by touch systems have branched out toward the United Kingdom. The pay by touch system allows consumers to pay for their purchases with the touch of their finger to a biometric fingerprint reader. The reader scans the fingerprint, matches it in the system, then uses it to pull up the consumers financial records. The consumer can choose to have and eCheck by touch, which is like using your fingerprint as a debit card. Or, the consumer can choose to create an eWallet, which holds all of their financial information including bank accounts, credit cards, and rewards cards. Goals for the companies manufacturing the pay by touch systems are to place biometric fingerprint readers across America within the next several years.

Biometric fingerprint readers are also becoming popular to protect computer systems. Laptops are now coming equipped with a biometric fingerprint reader, used to unlock the computer rather than a password. There are also biometric fingerprint readers that you can get for your existing laptop or home personal computer. These readers plug into your computer via a USB port, and work with or instead of your password to get into your computer.

Biometric fingerprint readers are also becoming more popular in door locks. You may think that these door locks are only available for the government or commercial arenas, but you would be wrong. Biometric fingerprint readers in door locks are now available at reasonable prices (around the same price as a security system). They are being marketed to residential home owners, and not just the movie stars or overpaid executives either. Within the next few years, these door locks will become commonplace in most middle class and upper class residential areas.

Biometric fingerprint readers are also available for use with time clocks and attendance records for business employees and school students. Again, these systems are rather inexpensive, and are likely to become widely used in the near future. Other uses for biometric fingerprint readers include personal and commercial safes, among other upcoming devices.

Future uses for biometric fingerprint readers may include car doors and/or ignition systems. It may not be too much further in the future. Our society has been heading toward paperless offices for the last few years. With biometric fingerprint readers becoming widespread, a keyless society is likely not far behind.