29.05.2004 - Gold Coast Bulletin - Futuristic security at your fingertips
James Bond has been using it for years but the Gold Coast is set to catch on.
Fingerprint scanning, once the stuff of the spy , has finally passed into the hands of local home owners.
Businesses such as Woolworths and Qantas already use the scanning process to employees but few Australian homes have the technology.
The science-fiction fantasy has become part of life for the reality show Big Brother.
The house diary room has been placed under a fingerprint-activated lock.
Gold Coast company Smart Access Systems and Anthony McAllister were eager to bring the technology to Australia and ensure that homeowners could tap into the security systems.
"It is new technology" he said.
"When people see the product, they love it".
"You don't need keys any more - it's brilliant, it really is clever".
The technology is part of the field of biometrics which include facial, iris and voice recognition.
The fingerprints of home owners are programmed into the door locks, which can register between 25 and 250 fingerprints, depending on the model.
Users press a button on the unit and place their finger on a sensor to unlock the door.
If an attempt is made to tamper with the lock, an alarm goes off.
Mr McAllister said the technogy had been created for security.
"It doesn't work with dead fingers - and what criminal in their right mind is going to put their fingerprint on it" he said.
The unit automatically locks the home or office three seconds after someone passes through. This ensures that there are no more panicked returns home to check if the front door was locked.
With only a nine-volt battery needed to power the lock from the outside - if the internal batteries die - the innovation makes locksmiths a thing of the past, accord to Mr McAllister.
"I'll never be locked out of my house again" he said.
"It's a million times cheaper than a locksmith". |