A new patent from Apple outlines how the tech firm envisions under-glass fingerprint sensors working.The patent comes following feverish speculation in tech media over what biometric solution the iPhone 8 will have, with many expecting 3D face recognition to feature following reports of failed efforts to use under-glass sensors.In the new patent, a sensor built under the display glass and uses acoustic imaging to read your fingers.A group of acoustic transducers could be placed towards the bottom of devicesand send piezoelectric signals to the top, with the returning waves used for the actual fingerprint scans.The tiny ridges and valleys of the skin on your finger produce have different acoustic boundaries and create a unique acoustic pattern, a pulse that can be transformed into electricity and used to recognize you by the system.Collected fingerprint images, once processed, can be applied to user authentication in much the same way as Touch ID. Unlike Apple's current fingerprint reading hardware, however, acoustic imaging technology does not require optical access to an evaluation target, meaning ultrasonic transducers can be placed beneath operating components like a display.
Recent Video
- New non-profit trade association of HAND will standardise global talent ID
- No cards, no phones: J.P. Morgan’s biometric revolution in payments
- Anthony Vidiano on building the future of access management
- Charisma Check wins 2025 Start-Up Pitching Competition, advancing identity verification and background checks for dating app users
- How to protect one billion Amazon customers: Lessons from continuous risk assessments
