A lab in Michigan has managed to recreate a dead man’s finger
A dead man’s finger has been 3D printed at a Michigan lab in order to unlock their iPhone.
Police hope that the technology will help catch the killer who remains at large, reports Fusion.net
A set of fingerprints the police took from the victim during an unrelated arrest were taken to the lab in Michigan State University where they were used as blueprints.
Anil Jain and his team at the lab are still perfecting the fingers
Computer science professor Anil Jain, who specialises in biometric identifiers like fingerprint scanners, created a 3D printed replica of all ten fingers.
Anil told Fusion that the police are not sure which finger the victim used to unlock his phone.
He said: ‘We think it’s going to be the thumb or index finger, that’s what most people use, but we have all ten.’
iPhones use a capacitive sensor to identify fingerprints – an electrical charge that can only be detected through a living person.
Police hope one of the fingers will allow them to access the victim’s iPhone
But after a person dies, the tissue in the skin starts to deteriorate, therefore the electrical charge is lost.
To overcome this, Anil had to coat the 3D fingers in a thin layer of metallic particles.
The fingers now need to be tested and refined before they are handed back to the police for use.
It is still not full proof as the police may still require a passcode if the touch screen has not been used for 48 hours.
Their investigation continues.
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