The device of Mitsubishi Electric uses a red LED to scan below the skin surface, even if the surface is too rough to make a print.

The world's first scanning device that reads fingerprints without touching the skin will hit the market this autumn, Mitsubishi Electric Corp. said.

The device could be used to enhance security measures at financial institutions and airports.

The new scanner uses light from a red light-emitting diode (LED) to read fingerprint patterns under the surface of the skin. Red LEDs are typically used in a wide variety of industrial uses, such as in automotive electronics or medical instruments.

Ordinary fingerprint sensors take prints using physical contact between the finger and a glass plate.

In some cases, however, such physical fingerprint readers are unable to take an accurate print when the subject's skin is rough, wrinkled or covered in perspiration.

In the new LED device, the user places a finger in the reader with the nail facing up. A light scans through the finger and analyzes the convex and concave patterns of the skin layer below the surface.

Financial institutions, eager to find ways to circumvent thefts of personal data and cash, are anxious to find devices like the Mitsubishi Electric reader to provide better identification at ATMs.

The fingerprint reader, including software, will be priced at about 100,000 yen or less, company officials said.(IHT/Asahi: February 26,2005)