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Islam Online (Washington DC) - According to sources at BMW, the automobile company is in the beginning stages of research that they hope will increase security of their already safe vehicles.
The technology being researched would replace the standardized ignition key that currently exists in automobiles today with that of fingerprint recognition. The technology would enable the owner of the car to start the vehicle by pressing their fingerprint in the place where the ignition key would be inserted.
"The object is to make the cars increasingly more hard to steal," said David Butchgow of BMW corporate communication in the United States. He stated that when the current standard of electronic coded keys was implemented in January of 1995 the percentage of BMW car theft decreased by 85%.
Many questions remain for the scientists researching this technology, which is being conducted at the Fraunhofer Institute in Berlin. The main consideration is whether the technology will be user friendly while at the same time bringing about increased security.
Another important aspect that is being considered is the dynamic of how several users of that car would share driving. For example, if a family owns a BMW with this technology and it is registered in the husband's name, will it also be able to recognize any other member of that family as an owner of that car, or will it view the other members of the family as car jackers?
Researchers have designed the technology so that the driver only needs to press a sensor to start the car. Prints taken of the thumb and forefinger of the owner of the car at the time of purchase as well as any further drivers are stored in a computer built into the car. The sensor then compares the fingerprint with those stored in the car's computer. If the prints register, then the occupant will be able to operate the vehicle.
Apparently, the technology is being set up to simplify usage of the automobiles by their owners while at the same time addressing these highly technical issues. "The advantages are self-evident," said Bertram Nickolay of the Fraunhofer Institute, according to a report by AFP. "You can't forget or forge your fingerprint."
However, eager BMW owners will have to wait for some time to have the opportunity to use this technology. In reference to when the cars might be equipped with this increased security technology, Mr. Butchgow said, "They are in too early of a stage to say when production will start. Setting a date would be premature at this time"
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