Hyundai announces fingerprint tech for unlocking and starting vehicles

Hyundai Motor Company showcased what is said to be the world’s first smart fingerprint technology that will allow drivers to not only unlock doors but also start the vehicle. The carmaker plans to implement the technology initially in the new Santa Fe SUV that'll be released in select markets in the first quarter of 2019.

With this technology, to unlock the door, the driver needs to place a finger on the sensor located on the door handle. The encrypted fingerprint information will be identified and delivered to the fingerprint controller inside the vehicle. The driver can also easily start the vehicle by touching the ignition that is also equipped with a fingerprint scanning sensor.

The technology also provides a customised driving environment such as matching information of driver preference with fingerprint data, automatically adjusting seating positions, connected car features and setting side-view mirror angles according to the driver.

Albert Biermann, president and Head of Research and Development Division of the Hyundai Motor Company said, “In the future, Hyundai Motor plans to further expand the application of the technology to allow the adjustment of temperature, steering wheel position, and many other features which will be tailored to driver’s preferences. This will ultimately offer quality driving experience to each and every Hyundai customer.”

The company also addressed the security issues on the smart fingerprint technology. With capacitance recognition, which detects differentials in the electricity level in various parts of the fingertip, the fingerprint technology efficiently prevents forgeries and faked fingerprints. The technology’s chance of misreading other person’s fingerprint as the driver’s is only one in 50,000, making it five times more effective than conventional vehicle keys, including smart keys. Moreover, through real-time learning of fingerprints supported by ‘dynamic update’ system, the system can continually improve its success rate.

The fingerprint technology will be introduced in select markets and be gradually offered to the other markets. Hyundai Motor also plans to continue to implement other customisable technologies to vehicle line-up, to strengthen technological leadership in the future mobility market.

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