Salem firm brings biometrics home

A Salem-based company has succeeded in making biometric technology accessible at the consumer level.

Tychi Systems Inc. has announced its first shipment of BioKnob, the first doorknob with fingerprint recognition available on the consumer market and the debut item of the four-year-old company.

“It was a technological challenge, but after three years we are delighted to be shipping a fantastic product,” said Sheng Deng, president of Tychi Systems.

Shaped like a typical doorknob and available in gold and silver, BioKnob allows access to users following a simple brush of a finger across a tiny sensor which reads fingerprint patterns. The new technology eliminates the need for keys and allows for temporary access for houseguests, business associates or contractors. In addition to being able to store 100 sets of fingerprints, BioKnob offers the added benefit of recording up to 1,000 entries by individual, date and time.

“We wanted to bring biometric technologies mostly seen in government agencies to consumer products,” Deng said. “Now homeowners and small businesses can benefit from advanced biometrics in an attractive door lock.”

Because fingerprint patterns are converted into a template, no actual pictures of prints are ever recorded, adding to the product’s security, said Deng. – TRACIE STONE