Contact: Kim Medaris
kmedaris@purdue.edu
765-494-6998
Purdue University

Testing Bacteria

Caption: Researchers at Purdue's Biometric Standards, Performance and Assurance Laboratory test bacteria from a vein-recognition reader, a biometric device that can authenticate a person's identity. Researchers have found that although the surfaces of some biometric devices may look more unsanitary due to visible dirt and prints, they harbor about the same amount of bacteria as a typical doorknob.

Credit: Purdue University photo

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Related news release: Biometric sensors no dirtier than doorknobs, study finds