Utilizing Characteristic Electrical Properties of the Epidermal Skin Layers to Detect Fake Fingers in Biometric Fingerprint SystemsA Pilot Study

Electronic fingerprint systems are now gaining acceptance in mainstream consumer applications worldwide. It has been shown, however, that about 80% of these systems are easily fooled with different kinds of fake fingers with imprinted patterns. Hence, a live finger detection mechanism will be a crucial part of any fingerprint system used in security applications. We present such a system based on measurement of electrical characteristics of different layers of the skin.