The device is called the AIRprint (I smell an Apple lawsuit coming) and works by “analyzing reflections of polarized light on a person’s hand by two cameras, one receiving vertically polarized light and the other receiving horizontally polarized light.” Currently it is in a prototype stage and is only able to handle one fingerprint at a time, and users have to maintain a fixed distance in order to get scanned. AOS plans to improve this when the product is finally launched.
The AIRprint is said to take only 0.1 second to scan a print, while it takes about 4 seconds to process it. Possible uses for such devices include the military, where it can be used to identify allies from foes or targets from a distance, solving issues with friendly fire and capturing impostors. Though with such technology, it makes you think about how easy it’s going to be to steal fingerprints from a distance as well.