If you thought that the outward appearance and construction of phones have started to stagnant, then LG Innotek's latest innovation is sure to catch your attention: a buttonless fingerprint scanner.
As the name implies, this new feature will allow users to unlock their smartphones (or whatever else they might need their fingerprints to do on a device) without rubbing a specific fingerprint recognition button.
The ramifications behind this technology are huge, and it will no doubt bring a paradim shift in smartphone design. To date, traditional fingerprint readers have required a specific area just for their use. Most companies, like Samsung or Apple, tend to build these scanners into the home button on the front or the power button on the back or side, like Googe's Nexus or Sony's Xperias. Now, with the ability to integrate these sensors into the glass, designers can build their phones in a way that removes any exterior sign of there being a sensor to begin with.
Aesthetics, however, are the least of what this new technology offers. Up until now, fingerprint readers have had to be particularly robust since they sit on the exterior of a device. Now that it can reside under the surface of the device, the sensor itself is less susceptible to being scratched, while phones can be designed in a way that doesn't have to accomodate the sensors. As such, manufactuerers can focus on improving certain features such as waterproofing and dust protection.
"The new module is expected to drastically reduce any smartphone malfunctions, as it does not require a specific button for fingerprint recognition," said an LG spokeswoman. "We are in talks with some handset manufacturers to commercialize the new modules within the year."
Of course, with any innovation comes potential downsides and this buttonless fingerprint scanner is no different. LG says these scanners have a false acceptance rate of 0.002 percent, and then there is question of how quickly the scanner can recognize a user's fingerprint. One upside of having the scanner on the surface of a device was that it could read your fingerprint directly - a luxury that a scanner underneath the surface of a phone doesn't allow. Unfortunately, there's no real way to see its real impact until it's tested with actual products.
As mentioned before, this technology is bound to bring a paradigm shift to smartphone design. However, the applications of this tech go far beyond it. The scanner can prevent the misuse of various home appliances, like an oven, by children. It can even be used for things like self-aware fridges or the TV remote control. Once again, the true value of this technology is that it can be used without fear of compromising the appliance's design or being damaged by an external force.
With all that said, all that's left is to know when its coming. Reportedly, the first phones with fingerprint scanners integrated beneath the display's glass are coming out in the second half of this year.
