3D Finger and Palm Print Scanner is Demonstrated at the Biometrics Consortium Conference

Date:  October 9, 2009

On September 22-24, 2009, the University of Kentucky's 3D Finger and Palm Print Scanner was demonstrated at the Biometrics Consortium Conference.  The Biometrics Consortium Conference was held at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa Florida.

Mike Troy, with FlashScan 3D, Dr. Larry Hassebrook with the University of Kentucky and YongChang Yang with the University of Kentucky attended the conference and provided live demonstrations of the 3D Finger and Palm Print Scanner. The NIHS booth display was set-up at the conference, providing information about the KCI program and NIHS.

YongChang Wang, which is a PhD student and Research Assistant at the University of Kentucky presented the 3D Finger and Palm Print Scanner project during a session and provided detailed information about the project.

The 3D Finger and Palm Print Scanner is a non-contact, rolled equivalent scanner that capture 3-dimensional data of fingerprints and palm prints. No ink, and no potential for error due to a sloppy imprint process. Structured light illumination's (SLI) core technology revolves around the use of projecting a known pattern of pixels (often grids or horizontal bars) on to a scene. The way that these deform when striking surfaces allows vision systems to calculate the depth and surface information of the objects in the scene enabling the scanner to capture 3-D fingerprint data and provide an accurate representation that far surpasses any other imaging technique.

So, Structured Light makes quantitative 3-D surface measurements that reveal actual ridge shape and depth. It is precisely this 3-D structure that gives a fingerprint its unique latent print characteristics and allows for the formation of minutiae. Capturing this data in 3-D allows for a more accurate representation of the true object, rather than a 2-D representation of a 3-D object, and ultimately yields more accurate data.

In the photo below, YongChang Wang with the University of Kentucky demonstrates the 3D Finger and Palm Print Scanner

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The Challenge

The task of assuring the security of our homeland involves protecting the citizens of the United States, the nation's critical infrastructure and key assets. This is necessary to sustain the nation's vitality against terrorism and other threats. This protection must originate at the community level. It requires discovering, developing and deploying new technology that will support first responders and key decision makers in local communities.

The Mission

NIHS' mission is to discover, develop and deploy solutions that protect and preserve the critical infrastructure of the nation's communities.

The Institute

NIHS aligns projects and research objectives with the needs and requirements of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The strategy is to manage a distributed research enterprise that effectively transitions research and development into solutions. NIHS works with DHS to determine technology needs at the community level. Then, teams are quickly assembled from multiple universities to develop solutions to the needs.

The Strategy

Through management of the Kentucky Critical Infrastructure Protections Program (KCI), the National Institute for Hometown Security (NIHS) provides an ongoing, integrated program dedicated to developing new technologies and devices. NIHS works through qualified academic institutions to accomplish the technological objectives.