How do fingerprint scanners work?

Gone are those days when fingerprint scanners were reserved to high-end security facilities and government organizations. Today, even a mid-range mobile phone comes loaded with a fingerprint scanner. These fingerprint sensors are the most widely used application of biometrics.

Given their popularity, it makes complete sense to dig in further and try and learn more about them. I’m pretty sure that most of you don’t know about the 3 widely used fingerprint scanners. Well, quite a few fingerprint technologies have been developed but most of them failed to witness their widespread implementation. Keeping it in mind, let’s know more about them and learn what the major differences are.

1. Optical Scanners

These are the oldest known method of capturing, identifying and storing fingerprints. This technique relies on capturing an optical image (mostly through clicking a photograph) and using various algorithms to identify unique patterns on the skin’s surface. Optical scanners use LEDs to illuminate the finger pressed against the glass plate. This light, when reflected on the Charged Couple Device (CCD) generates signals which are ultimately processed to create a finger’s digital impression. This imprint is what we call a live scan.

A major handicap with optical fingerprint sensors is that they can be easily manipulated. The 2-dimensional imprints can be fooled using prosthetics, or even good, high-resolution pictures. And thus, it is being phased out today and can only be found in inexpensive hardware.

2. Capacitive Scanners

This is the most commonly used fingerprint scanner and can be found implemented in various flagship devices. The capacitor, just like its name suggests is the core component in these types of scanners. Unlike optical sensors, capacitive fingerprint scanners do not create a traditional fingerprint image. Various semiconductor chips are embedded into such scanners. These chips comprise of cells made up of capacitors. Such scanners use multiple capacitor circuits to data about a fingerprint.

Once such data is collected, it’s thoroughly analyzed for any distinctive attribute, which is then saved for comparison. A good thing about these kinds of fingerprint scanners is that they are not easy to fool. However, they are prone to software/hardware hacking and manipulation.

3. Ultrasonic Scanners

Ultrasonic scanners, in an attempt to capture fingerprint details, use an ultrasonic transmitter and a receiver. Whenever a finger is pressed against the sensor, an ultrasonic pulse is generated. While a part of it is absorbed, most of it bounces back to the sensor. The waves are then utilized to recreate a digital imprint of the fingerprint.

Fingerprint recognition is an integral component of biometric identification, but not its only one. In our subsequent blog posts, we’d throw some light on other identification technologies such as iris recognition, vein recognition, etc. Until then, keep following Starlink Communications, India’s leading biometric manufacturer.

Top Features Of The Time Web App

When you think of a professional or a corporate employee, the picture that comes to your mind is someone who is smartly dressed taking a flight to a business meeting overseas with a mobile in hand trying to work on the move. Most of this image you have in mind is a reality as many organizations are using the latest technology to create a working environment through a virtual office that is flexible and employee-friendly. There is one aspect that’s still work in progress and that is logging time and leave management as there is no way to gauge the actual productivity. However, the latest app for Time and leave management like Time Web App has automated processes and features that improve productivity and efficiency to Manage Attendance, leave management, manage work hours and overtime.

 Manage Attendance: This is the most important and the most obvious feature that a time management app should have. Time Web App captures the attendance and the time clocked by the user by capturing the in and out time. If you are in the office, you can have magnetic card readers, biometric scanners, to keep a record of working hours. If the employee is working out of the country the mobile app will have in-built features to work in line with the particular country’s office hours. The employees can also see their time performance and take measures to improve the work timing. If there are any errors, request for correction can be made so that there are no issues during payroll processing.

 Leave Management: Applying for leaves is very easy using this app. Once the leave is submitted, the request is either approved or disapproved by the supervisor, and the status is displayed. The leave balances are auto-calculated as per the company policy, and you can also view the ‘leave’ history on the Time Web App. Every employee will be able to access the app, track leave status, view attendance record, their Profile, raise correction request, Apply Leave, login Overtime hours, view the holiday calendar, using the software. They can set their password so that the data is accessible only by the manager and the concerned employee.

 Manage Work Hours: Another great feature of Time Web app is that it has geographic tracking where it uses the GPS to track an employee’s attendance, location, time and the number of billable hours. That not only ensures human resources control but also improves productivity and makes savings for the company. Apart from tracking and monitoring an employee it also helps to manage work by providing alerts, managing schedules and notify overtime and much more.

Time Web app is a mobile workforce management app which helps improve productivity and also increase employee satisfaction as it automates the processes involved in managing the workforce and eliminates manual errors due to wrong interpretation of pay rules related to overtime, around hours that the employee has worked for and also the pay rates. Any organization using this app can also easily integrate this Time and leave management app with other third-party systems like the ERPs and the biometrics.

Time Web App helps improve your productivity, and you can be rest assured that the organization is recognizing your performance as an employee.

www.starlinkindia.com