The dawn of a new year brings new tech to the market. Starting with the 2019 Santa Fe SUV model, Hyundai Motor Company plans to phase out car keys with smart fingerprint technology.
In the new Hyundai ride, drivers can unlock their car doors by placing their fingerprints on the door handle sensor. The encrypted data is sent to a fingerprint controller located inside the car, which processes and identifies the individual.
Drivers can also use this tech to start their cars by just touching the ignition, which is also fitted with a fingerprint scanning sensor.
To customize future commutes, Hyundai plans to merge the collected fingerprint data with driver preferences, such as mirror angles, connected car features, and seating positions.
“In the future, Hyundai Motor plans to further expand the application of the technology to allow the adjustment of temperature, steering wheel position, and many other features which will be tailored to driver’s preferences,” says Albert Biermann, president and head of Research & Development Division of the Hyundai Motor Company. “This will ultimately offer quality driving experience to each and every Hyundai customer.”
Although the system encrypts data, security concerns may still persist with consumers. To calm lingering doubts, the company used capacitance recognition to combat forgeries and faked fingerprints, “which detects differentials in the electricity level in various parts of the fingertip,” according to Hyundai.
The chance of the car falsely identifying someone else’s fingerprint as the driver’s using Hyundai’s system is “only one in 50,000, making it five times more effective than conventional vehicle keys, including smart keys,” according to the company.
Further bolstering security measures, Hyundai’s system makes consistent improvements with real-time learning and a dynamic update structure.
The new Santa Fe SUV model is slated to release in select markets during the first quarter of 2019. After its trial period, Hyundai plans for a steady expansion to other markets.
