Police look to unlock smartphone using 3D-printed fingerprintsA law enforcement agency has turned to a researcher at the University of Michigan for help in creating 3D replicas of a victim's fingerprints in order to gain access his phone. The technique, demonstrated earlier this year by Anil Jain, could help law enforcement unlock a device equipped with Apple's Touch ID or other fingerprint scanner.
While many modern fingerprint sensors require not only a fingerprint, but the electrical conductivity of a living finger, this technique is designed to get around that. From The Guardian:
First, the two-dimensional fingerprint scans are converted into three dimensional fingerprints and these are then sent to a high resolution 3D printer, to make a physical replica in a soft plastic that retains the subtle ridges of the fingerprint while also distorting under pressure like skin.
Once printed, a micron-thick coating of metal – gold, copper or silver – is applied to the surface. This recreates the electrical conductivity found in human ...
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Police look to unlock smartphone using 3D-printed fingerprints
