Chicago-based Atsonic LLC on Friday released SweetFINGER, fingerprint technology which is targeted at law enforcement agencies and the medical profession.
The software – developed to run on Panasonic’s handheld PC – will enable law enforcement agents to scan, collect and verify biometrical data such as fingerprints directly from the scene. For example, if an officer was sitting in his patrol car, he would be able to match the fingerprint to the suspect directly – providing the individual’s fingerprint has already been entered into the server or database.
The real potential of the software would be its ability to save time, the company said.
“At this time they need to take the individuals to the police station, to arrest them and take it there along with processing the fingerprint and send it to the FBI database – that could take hours or days,” said Joe Pirzadeh, president and CEO at Atsonic in Chicago.
SweetFINGER not only collects, processes and transmits fingerprints but can also transfer a photo of the individual via a digital camera attached to the device. All of the biometric information is then transferred to the law enforcement agency or the organization’s database server in the automated fingerprint identification system, the company said.
If the emphasis today is on the law and health industries, the vision of tomorrow is focused on the banking industry.
“In the future, individuals with their fingerprints could deposit or withdraw from ATM machines and even take it to the stores. When you are purchasing items, you don’t have to pay cash or with your credit card, the fingerprint would be process the purchase and the bank would withdraw the money from your account,” he said.
The software is available in Canada but Pirzadeh said the company is still searching for a vendor north of the border to sell the software.