Whilst fingerprint technology is currently only available in cars, there is no reason to say that this kind of technology won’t be used throughout the delivery industry sooner rather than later. It is something that could transform the way in which a courier network operates on a day-to-day basis.
Here’s how the future may be closer than you think.
Hyundai Santa Fe
At present, fingerprint unlock and start technology is only available in the Hyundai Santa Fe car. At the touch of the driver’s fingerprint, this car will unlock and start immediately, without the need for a traditional key.
The car manufacturer is the first of its kind to introduce these biometric systems into their vehicles, with fingerprint sensors installed on both the door handles and on the ignition button. The move was announced in December 2018, with the first sensors installed in Santa Fe sports utility cars earlier on this year.
A Personalised Driving Experience
This biometric technology is not just able to unlock and start the car, either. It can be programmed to recognise the fingerprints of several people, and will even alter the seat height and rear view mirror angle based on the preferences of each individual. The South Korean company is even planning to introduce this same level of personalisation for temperature and humidity control settings, as well as personalised steering after the Santa Fe becomes available in China. This is set to happen during the first quarter of the year. Should this technology be used in the future in vehicles that are part of a courier network, drivers could potentially enjoy benefits in terms of time saving, security and convenience.
Breaking New Ground
Hyundai are the first car company in the world to install sensors into car door handles, with fingerprint technology having previously been introduced into Nissan cars solely for ignition and to provide personalised settings, rather than to unlock it.
With voice and face recognition technology growing in popularity with manufacturers, many now believe that it will dispense with the need for a traditional key to either unlock or start a car, van or lorry. Already, the electric car manufacturer Tesla has the technology in place to allow drivers to unlock their car with their smartphone.
Looking to the Future
Honda, BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have come together to create the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) in order to work alongside each other to establish the way in which digital keys will function in the future.
This is an enormous and growing market, with Google Intelligence recently releasing a report that estimated the value of the biometric market in cars to reach just under £800m by 2024. Another report from Frost & Sullivan has also suggested that by the following year, around a third of cars will feature this technology.
The margin of error, the company estimates, is around one in 50,000. This is the same estimate that Apple has on their products with the Touch ID scanner system, including the MacBook, iPad and iPhone.
New technology and new ideas are constantly changing the way that a courier network has the ability and reach to operate, with fingerprint technology something that could one day be introduced to all lorries, vans and other delivery vehicles.
Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day jobs in the express freight exchange industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their online courier network, Courier Exchange provides services for matching loads and with available drivers. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.
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