New Biometric Solution Advances Secure Authentication For IoT
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
With growing interest in the Internet of Things (IoT), pressure has emerged to find ways to secure authentication for mobile and IoT devices. Biometric technology is emerging as an important tool for data security, and experts believe that it will soon become the leading form of security, according to Digital Trends.
The problem with the growth of the IoT is that as users grow more connected, they also become more vulnerable. Passwords or PINs remain problematic as the only means of authentication, and current biometric systems have a tendency not to perform well under certain conditions.
Sonavation has introduced a new technology, SonicTouch, for integration into mobile and IoT devices. According to a post on the company’s blog. SonicTouch is a FIDO (fast identity online)-ready ultrasound biometric authenticator. Sonavation is the first to develop and successfully bond an ultrasound biometric sensor to device protective glass. This innovation eliminates the need for any type of etching, which could potentially damage a smart device.
Rainer Schmitt, Sonavation chief technology officer, explains how the solution works: “The high frequency ultrasound technology deployed in SonicTouch provides high resolution imaging utilizing acoustic impediography. The difference of acoustic properties in the fingerprint structure of ridges and valleys is at least two orders of magnitude higher than those of optical and capacitive fingerprint imaging methods. This makes acoustic impediography simple and robust, while providing the means for through glass fingerprinting.”
In addition, the solution is designed to capture a user’s fingerprint signature and encrypt it, and the signature never leaves the device.
The solution is currently in the final design stages, and it is set to launch with three manufacturers in the near future.