Keys No More?
I always hate it when I get home around 12 in the morning, to find that I forgot my keys, and Mom decided to move the spare to a new and all the more obscure hiding place. But trolling around the newspapers again I found something that could be an answer to both bedroom invasion by small children and getting into the house late at night without keys. A biometric deadbolt by Kwikset makes it so you just have to swipe your fingerprint and the system will lock or unlock according to what you want it to do.
The lock, called SmartScan, is made by Kwikset of Lake Forest, Calif. ($199). The device is powered by four AA batteries and requires no wiring. It works by emitting radio waves that detect distances between the ridges and valleys of a finger just below the surface of the skin, said Michael Maridakis, the chief electronic engineer for the hardware and home improvement group of Black & Decker, which owns the Kwikset brand.
Because the scanner reads subdermally, it is not affected by dirt or oil on the fingertips. “It will even work for fingers that have minor cuts and scratches,” Mr. Maridakis said.
He said the lock’s batteries would last about a year if you used it about 20 times a day. The deadbolt also works with standard keys that accompany it.
The SmartScan can also be programmed to grant temporary access — for someone to enter your home from 8 to 10 a.m. on a particular day, for instance, to take the dog for a walk. The lock holds about 50 different fingerprints.
NYTimes Article here