Biometric Time and Attendance Technology for the Real World

The benefits of biometric Time and Attendance systems have been well documented and the biometrics field has made considerable advancements in recent years.

Despite this there are still common environmental and demographic issues that represent significant challenges for the biometrics industry and, as a result, have limited widespread adoption of the technology for employee management purposes.

The true test of a biometric Time and Attendance system is how it performs under real world conditions. This article examines some of the environmental issues that can cause a major headache for System Administrators and how the next wave of biometric technology can help address the problem.

Damp or Cold Environments
Most biometric systems are relatively reliable in sheltered, enclosed environments. However, the reality is that many Time and Attendance systems are often required to perform outdoors or in cold, refrigerated areas. In particular, conventional biometric fingerprint sensors can struggle in damp conditions as excess moisture obscures fingerprint ridges, resulting in images of puddles, rather than fingerprints. Sweaty hands can cause a similar problem.

Dry Hands
Standard biometric readers rely on a firm and complete contact between fingertip and sensor, in order to capture accurate and reliable images. Unfortunately, the common problem of dry hands, caused by anything from climate conditions or natural skin characteristics to frequent hand-washing or air travel, means that this is not always possible.

Rough Conditions
In the rough and tumble of daily life, our hands can become worn, torn and dirty. Especially in the Manufacturing and Construction sector, it is common for employees to be working with greasy, rough or dirty hands. This in turn means that workers’ fingerprints can be difficult to pick up by conventional biometric readers that rely on quality, clean contact between the finger and the sensor.

How multi-spectral imaging can help
The core problem with conventional technologies is that they rely on clear and complete contact between the fingerprint and the sensor, a condition that is elusive in the real world.

Multispectral imaging is a sophisticated technology that was developed by Lumidigm*, a world leader in pioneering biometric solutions, to overcome the fingerprint capture problems conventional imaging systems have in less-than-ideal conditions.

Multi-spectral imaging combines multiple spectrums of light and advanced polarisation techniques to extract unique fingerprint characteristics from both the surface and subsurface of the skin which is unaffected by surface wear and other environmental factors.

This enhanced data capture capability overcomes the fingerprint capture problems conventional imaging systems encounter, as when the fingerprint ridges on the surface are marred by an injury, dirt or moisture, the subsurface information remains intact, and the multi-spectral sensors can collect it.

Mitrefinch Australia are now incorporating Lumidigm’s award winning technology into their new biometric Time and Attendance terminals. The robustness of Lumidigm’s technology will allow Mitrefinch customers to have a biometric solution in environments where standard fingerprint readers were not previously feasible.

If you would like to find out more about Mitrefinch Biometric Time and Attendance solutions contact 1300 884 831 or sales@mitrefinch.com.au. Mitrefinch Consultants are on hand to provide online and onsite demonstrations of their biometric terminals in action and can also run small pilot programs to ensure that the technology will work for your organisation.

* Lumidigm’s technology advantage is protected by numerous US and International PCT patents. They provide identity management solutions for civil ID, point-of-sale, time and attendance, physical and logical access, and portable electronic device applications.