Samsung Unveils World's First OLED Display With BuiltIn Fingerprint And Blood Pressure Sensing
Samsung Display has unveiled a next-generation OLED panel that is said to be able to recognize fingerprints anywhere on the screen and even check a user's heart rate, blood pressure and stress level by reading multiple fingers simultaneously.
Typically, fingerprint sensors for smartphones are installed as a separate module under the screen and only respond to fingerprint data in a limited area of the screen. In contrast, Samsung's new "OLED touch display" extends that sensitivity across the entire screen by incorporating light-sensitive organic photodiodes (OPDs) into the panel itself.
The technology, currently being showcased at SID Display Week 2023, opens up exciting possibilities for future smartphones, such as multi-finger authentication (i.e. placing four fingers on the screen) which offers tens of millions of times more security than a single smartphone. finger only
Another potential feature is the authentication of individual apps on the phone's home screen by simply placing a finger on an app icon to open it, eliminating the need for a password or facial recognition.
But perhaps the most compelling claim is the sensor's OLED display's ability to check heart health, including blood pressure, with two fingers.
"To accurately measure a person's blood pressure, it is necessary to measure blood pressure in both arms," said a press release from Samsung Display. "The sensor's OLED display can capture the fingers of both hands simultaneously, providing more accurate health information than existing wearables."
According to Samsung, the system works because OLEDs reflect light differently depending on the constriction and relaxation of blood vessels in the finger. When it bounces off the panel, the OPD can detect it and convert it into a blood pressure reading.
Samsung hasn't said anything about the accuracy or speed of the OLED touch screen, or whether authentication and biometric reading will be done simultaneously, but the company believes the technology is meant for smartphones. Soon.
Could this, or something similar, come to iPhone one day? It's no secret that Apple has been working on an under-display Touch ID system since at least 2013, and the company has been awarded several patents over the years. Indeed, despite claims that under-display Touch ID is unlikely on future iPhones, Apple has stepped up its research into under-display fingerprint recognition technology.
Earlier this year, Apple received a patent for under-display Touch ID, which combines shortwave infrared technology with a multifunctional optical imaging system. The latest prototype not only focuses on reading the user's fingerprint by touching the screen, but can also detect blood vessel patterns, blood oxygen levels, pulse, glove presence and humidity.
As of this writing, we can't say for sure whether Apple will put Touch ID under the iPhone screen. Apple is also likely to introduce an iPhone with Touch ID built into the physical side button to match the latest iPad Air and iPad mini models, although there are no rumors that Apple is planning to go that route. .
Apple's roadmap for bottom panel technology, as set out by industry consultancy DSCC Ross Young, suggests we won't be seeing a version of Touch ID on the iPhone anytime soon. Apple is focusing more on moving Face ID and the front-facing camera below the display, aiming to achieve both by 2027.
