New biometric locks have been developed which open when an authorized user swipes his or her finger against it. The size of these deadbolt locks is nearly the same as a standard lock and can be customized to match the home decor.
The fingerprints of authorized users are stored in the biometric lock which also contains a scanner. Radio waves are emitted by the lock, which detect the distance between the ridges and valleys of the finger, just below the surface of the skin. Since the skin surface is not checked, it will even work with oily or dirty fingers or fingers with minor scratches or cuts.
No wiring is required for installation of the biometric locks, which are powered by four AA batteries. Usually the batteries last for a year under standard operating conditions. The locks also work with a standard set of keys. Since these locks are micro controller based, they can be programmed to allow temporary access for a specific duration. The information is stored locally, so these systems are more secure than networked systems , where centrally stored information can be hacked.
Black & Deckers home improvement and hardware group supplies a biometric lock called Smartscan for US$199.