How long until all optical mice are also biometric readers? | The Coffeehouse

Optical mice are just very poor cameras that track objects between frames and calculate the difference. Why can't we rewire a mouse to forward the raw image to an application and then, in effect use it as a rudimentary fingerprint reader?

That's how Microsoft Fingerprint Reader works... And with standard optical mice being so common, uptake could be high.

Manip

I figure that it would work on any mouse that has a 600 DPI optical sensor or higher (depending on how big your finger is). The best mice on the market have 1000 DPI sensors in them, and if you run your finger over that to form three frames then it is very workable in a realistic way.

alwaysmc2

Well, it would make more sence, functionality-wise, if the super-mouse was just an optical mouse with a fingerprint reader in the left click button.

Ang3lFir3

Not a huge fan of biometrics from a purely ethical standpoint (for personal use say within your own home.... fine I guess... tho you better protect it well).... much prefer the use of strong passwords and physical "secrets/keys" to the biometric key..... there is just something still very Orwellian about the whole thing.....

however it might work.... give it a try and see

cheong

alwaysmc2 wrote:

Well, it would make more sence, functionality-wise, if the super-mouse was just an optical mouse with a fingerprint reader in the left click button.

Now just imagine when you have a cut on your index finger... [6]

So I'll prefer the fingerprint scanner to be locate at the side, where your thumb fits in. (Thumb is much less likely to have cut than index finger, so is more preferable for the purpose of biometric identification.)

W3bbo

Ang3lFir3 wrote:

Not a huge fan of biometrics from a purely ethical standpoint (for personal use say within your own home.... fine I guess... tho you better protect it well).... much prefer the use of strong passwords and physical "secrets/keys" to the biometric key..... there is just something still very Orwellian about the whole thing.....

however it might work.... give it a try and see

That's the thing:

Strong passwords are better than fingerprints in many ways, primarily because they're stored in your brain, where no-one can get to them. Fingerprints are, well.... let's just say there are cases of hands being removed[1] so that the readers can be operated.

[1]Look for "chopped" in that article

Angus

This mouse had biometric capabilities:

[Link]

I know it is not what you asked for, or very ideal, but it does have these biometric capabilities. I think that it should be placed on the left mouse button so that it is easy to get to.

I use Microsoft Fingerprint Reader at home, it isn't massively useful as I am not to bothered about security on this computer as it has very few things that could cause any sort of damage if they were accessed. I only use biometrics to log on to my PC.

Angus Higgins

Tensor

I'm not sure how you can be against biometrics per se.. they have no real ethical good or badness. They are neutral. Like a sandwich. Its what you use them for where issues come in.

having said thet, as W3bbo pointed out, they are not actually that good. I'm not sure if they have improved much but a few years ago they could be defeated by taking a mold of someones finger and casting it in jelly (thats jelly as in jello).

Angus

Tensor wrote:

they could be defeated by taking a mold of someones finger and casting it in jelly (thats jelly as in jello).

Well, you might be correct; I read that 90% of fingerprint scanners can be defeated by Play Doh.

I suppose the 10% that cannot be defeated will be the ones that are relied on for very good security.

Angus Higgins

Yggdrasil

Tensor wrote:

they have no real ethical good or badness. They are neutral. Like a sandwich. Its what you use them for where issues come in.

So, you're saying a sandwich has an equal capacity for good as for evil?

Hell no! Sandwiches RULE.

Tensor

Yggdrasil wrote:

Tensor wrote: they have no real ethical good or badness. They are neutral. Like a sandwich. Its what you use them for where issues come in.

So, you're saying a sandwich has an equal capacity for good as for evil?

Hell no! Sandwiches RULE.

But if you drop a sandwich from the top of, say, the Eiffel Tower, its power can be used for evil.

blowdart

Tensor wrote:

But if you drop a sandwich from the top of, say, the Eiffel Tower, its power can be used for evil.

French Man lookup upwards: "Oh, crep"

ba-da-doom, I'll be here all week (probably spoiling everything for eagle *snicker*)