The Journey through Senior Design

Concept - Thumb-thing to think about
The initial idea of doing a project based on thumbprint scanning was the result of a scene in Back to the Future.  The scene features an individual paying for his taxi fare by scanning his thumb.  Obtaining a car for a senior design project, however, was a bit too far beyond the realm of possibility.  So the decision was made to modify the concept to a system that would use thumbprint scanning as a secure method of payment and way to obtain entry to places.

Alternate Approaches - Thumb other ideas
The group's early hope was to devise a system that would become a substitute for credit card swiping in stores, as well as for use on college and corporate campuses.  The concept was to implement swiping units at stores throughout the country to allow consumers a more secure and convenient way to pay for their transactions.  As project planning progressed, it became evident that doing both would require doing more work than time allowed.  The group thus chose to go with the more interesting of the two proposed scopes.  The group would develop a system that consolidates access and money accounts into a single database, allowing users to access these accounts via their thumbprints.

Another area in which the group was forced to make planning decisions was how to build the system.  The group wanted to build a system composed of a scanner unit connected to a server, which houses the system's database.  Some of the configurations for the scanner unit that were considered are as follows:
  1. LCD display, fingerprint scanner, and keypad attached to a microprocessor.
  2. Fingerprint scanner connected to a PDA.
  3. Fingerprint scanner connected directly to the server, on which a PDA would be simulated.

Ultimately, the group decided to go with the second configuration as it promised to be easier for obtaining parts, simpler to configure, and the best model of the concept to be emulated.  The group felt that by using a simpler configuration, more effort could be put into the software component of the system, which is the main focus of the project.  The configuration was amended, however, to connect both the fingerprint scanner and the PDA to the laptop.

Future Possibilities - Thumb-time in the future
There are some ways that this project could be expanded for future projects.  For instance, the scanning unit could be constructed of the basic parts as described in the first configuration above.  Also, the system can still be adapted to the national credit card scheme that was originally part of our plan.  Finally, by utilizing Java functions that are available to the public, another group could develop their own software for obtaining and comparing fingerprints.

Connections - Thumb-one to help
One of the most important things that get a project going, is getting help from a sponsor.  The group is very grateful for the assistance that Cross Match Technologies, Inc. has provided.  They loaned the fingerprint scanner to the group for the duration of the project and supplied the necessary software for obtaining and comparing fingerprints.  Cross Match provides to customers around the world state-of-the-art equipment and software for capturing fingerprints and palm prints.

The Secrets to Senior Design - Making thumb-thing happen
The best piece of advice to follow for Senior Design is to get an early start.  The sooner a group begins work and obtains the equipment that they need, the better off they will be in the Spring.  Even though the Fall Semester is traditionally regarded as the planning phase of the project, it is extremely valuable to begin putting the project together then.  It is also important to have alternative plans in case things don't go as planned.

Instead of picking friends to be in the group, each group member should have attributes that will add to the effectiveness of the group and should work well with the other members.  Groups that have fun while they work are the most successful.