Solution Development

General design goals

• • Public acceptance

  • Reliability

  • Performance

  • Durability

  • Speed

Fingerprint scanner should be able to provide an affordable, efficient, and reliable form of security and verified access to high-value data, systems, or mechanical devices.

Quantitative Design Constraints:

• Affordability - Employ component choices that provide the lowest cost and highest effectivity.

• Speed & Accuracy - Ensure our product is faster and effective to use than entering various passwords repeatedly.

• Data Security (High Importance) - Ensure user passwords cannot be retrieved through overly simple exploits.

• Ergonomic - Ensure our product communicates with the user clearly: blinking lights, noise, or vibrations can all be used to communicate device operations to the user.

• Ensure the final product is compact and portable to further ensure ease of use.

Attributes to guide the final solution of the design:

• Speed - reading the fingerprint as fast as possible. Fingerprint verification method was chosen as it is more efficient than various passwords or dual security measures.

• Accuracy - people do not want to have to try their finger a few times when time is important. Furthermore, accurate fingerprint scans are very possible with current technology, and provide a unique level of highly accurate biometric data that is hard to bypass with methods like brute force hacking.

• Security - solution needs to be resistant to most forms of security breaches. Biometric scans are extremely difficult to reproduce unauthentically, and due to the nature of the devices this would be used on (flash drive, password autofill device, etc), hacking the system would require physical alterations of the product.

• Reliability - has to be accurate every time it is used. Margins of error in the data processing cannot be large enough to allow unauthorized access to devices.

• Portability - cannot be huge, needs to be able to be brought around with the user

Step-by-Step Approach to Solution:

1. Locate and integrate affordable, GPIO capable fingerprint scanner that can be operated by Raspberry Pi

2. Research biometric (fingerprint) data storage methods and algorithms

3. Implement and test algorithms, prioritizing accuracy and speed.

4. Implement secure credential storage and autofill (for various services and personal user accounts)

5. Implement ergonomic and accessibility improvements (i.e. blinking lights, vibrating motors, etc.)

6. Review product for any additional issues

7. Attempt to resolve new issues for improved product

8. Return to step 6 and proceed

Paths to Avoid:

• Final product should not run off of an internet-capable computing system, or any microprocessor that can be easily manipulated or connected to by unauthorized actors.

• A final product that communicates biometric data to a computer or device in any way that it can be accessed or stolen through that point of contact or a compromised OS system process.

• Non-repairable system -- in the event that the fingerprint scanner is physically damaged. Otherwise, there shall be realistic methods to recover data or verify authorized use, in case the device was used to secure non-recoverable information.