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Forget the car key - use your finger

By Reino Gevers Jan 25, 2006, 15:00 GMT

Hamburg - Forgetting the car keys is part of everyday frustrations despite the small revolution in the sector with smart cards and other electronic access gadgets to unlock or start the car. Soon, all you will need is your index finger to press the car door which recognises your fingerprint immediately, to open the door. Technology that transmits data from the skin to electronic systems is far advanced and in some cases already a reality. Modern car keys are already small electronic marvels. Owners of the new Audi A8 have the choice of an advanced key that includes a pulse generator whose signal is registered by a proximity sensor in the door that recognised the driver within a range of 1.5 metres. If the signal is accepted, the doors are unlocked as soon as the driver operates the button on the door handle and he/she need only press the start button to start the engine. The key of the BMW 7-Series memorises driver settings such as the seat and steering wheel positions. It includes a panic alarm and other anti-theft devices. Owners of the Mercedes CL make use of a smart card that must be inside the vehicle when the ignition button is pushed. It prevents drivers from locking the car with the card inside. The Bavarian firm Ident Technology has now developed a system whereby the driver need only carry a signal in his/her pocket with the difference that the data is not transmitted by radio wave but through the skin as soon as it touches the door handle. Ident Technology argues that this system is superior to other data transfer systems such as Bluetooth because it does not interfere with other electronic systems and does not require expensive radio frequency licenses. Key information is transferred through body contact. The Dutch manufacturer Inalfa will this year become the first producer to use the technology for sunroofs. If a finger or hand touches the frame, the closing procedure is automatically stopped using only skin sensors. Researchers are working on applying the skin technology for numerous other functions in the car. The micro systems are becoming smaller and cheaper and are expected to be an everyday reality in the motor car seven to 10 years from now. © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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