Drive users get fingerprinted

Nov. 4, 2004
Password protection is a thing of the past on new portable USB storage devices. JumpDrive TouchGuard drives will soon incorporate sensors that grant access by checking the fingerprint of the owner.

JumpDrive TouchGuard USB drives incorporate a fingerprint sensor chip from Fujitsu Microelectronics America Inc. that lets the owner swipe a finger to access the flash memory device.


The drives, from Lexar Media Inc., incorporate MBF310 Sweep Sensors from Fujitsu Microelectronics America Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif. Software developed by Cogent Systems Inc. in South Pasadena, Calif., handles the fingerprint processing.

The sensor captures fingerprints as 500-dpi, 8-bit grayscaleimages. To save power, a special fingerprint-detection circuit only turns on the device when someone swipes their finger on the sensor.

 

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