How are ultrasonic readers DIFFERENT from optical scanners?
Ultrasound uses sound to capture an image while optical uses light. Sound can penetrate or pass through materials that light cannot (e.g. dirt, ink, grime). An optical scanner is like a camera that takes a 2-dimensional picture of a finger placed on a specially coated glass platen. This platen is susceptible to retaining contamination or even a residual latent fingerprint from a previous finger. Since the camera can’t see through the dirt, the image will be a partial fingerprint, significantly increasing the likelihood of a false rejection or false acceptance instead of a match. Ultra-Scan’s patented ultrasonic reader transmits low level high frequency acoustic waves through the air, finger and dirt to capture a complete high quality image producing results approaching 100% accuracy. Another difference is the speedy through-put capability of ultrasonic biometric systems that can easily ‘read’ the dirty fingers of the real world. Optical systems frequently require attendants to clean th
