• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
College Magazine logo

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
    • Find Your College
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
Home » Latest Posts » South Dakota School Tests Fingerprint Technology
Life

South Dakota School Tests Fingerprint Technology

Facebook Tweet
Marissa Russo   February 27, 2013

You can’t find your bank card. Your stomach drops deep into your gut. You reach into your pockets or dig through your purse trying to find that piece of plastic. You ask yourself, where is it? When was the last time I used it?

Have you ever misplaced your credit card and feared the worst? New technology could soon have you using a system that you couldn’t possibly lose: your finger. According to a report on CBS8.com, students at the School of Mines and Technology are participating in one of the world’s first Biocryptology experiments. By using a special pay pad at two shops on campus, the students can make purchases by simply swiping a finger. The machine can then use the students' fingerprints to verify their identities and access their banking information.

Having a machine scan your fingerprints is old news to most of us. But what sets this experiment apart from the rest is that the new device not only reads fingerprints, but also checks to see if there is a pulse. The non-intrusive detection acts as an additional safeguard for people trying to fool the machine (think spy movies where thieves cut off someone’s finger to try and open a safe).

So why was Rapid City, a relatively unknown town about 25 miles from Mount Rushmore, selected as the guinea pig for such a high tech study? Al Maas, president of Nexus USA and one of the individuals who helped patent the technology, grew up not far from Madison, S.D. and wanted his home state to be the first to experiment with the new device. The location was also a good indicator of how the technology would be received in other parts of the nation. “I said, if it flies here in the conservative Midwest, it’s going to go anywhere,” Mass told CBS8.           

The college’s associate vice president for research-economic development, Joseph Wright, said the students at the School of Mines and Technology are all STEM majors and are therefore naturally inclined towards technology. When Maas first introduced the concept of cashless purchases this winter, about 50 students volunteered to participate. "There was some hesitation, but the fact that it's the first in the world — that's the whole point of this school," said Brian Wiles, a 22-year-old mechanical engineering major. "We're innovators."


trending

439

10 Student Organizations Breaking the Mold at Berkeley

181

Top 10 Spots Around Emerson College to Get Inspired

159

Top 10 Ways to Spot a UT Austin Alum


Images: degreedirectory.org and CBS8.com

About Marissa Russo

Junior > Journalism/Apparel and Textile Design > Michigan State

What I Wish I Had Known About Mental Health So I Wouldn’t Have to Call Myself a College Dropout

Ant-Man Opens the Doors for Marvel’s New Phase

10 Boba Tea Spots for Houston College Students

10 Ways to Have Fun with Your Friends Indoors

Do You Actually Care, Or Do You Want to Look Like You Do?

unsplash.com

Top Ten Inspirational Quotes from Your Favorite Sports TV Shows

I lived with my three best friends. Here’s how it went.

21 Things to Do in Williamsburg When You’re Under 21

The Beauty and Pain of Living Alone

Previous Post:A Tribute to Every College Student’s Favorite 90’s TV Couples
Next Post:5 Essential Apps and Websites for the Productive Student

colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

College Magazine logo

Copyright © 2023 Powered by BizBudding