Everyone has fingerprints, and we use them every day.

Unlocking our phones, clocking in at work, applying for ID cards, clearing customs... we use them several times a day.

But you probably don’t know a single one of these little secrets about fingerprints.

In this series, each episode will reveal some little-known facts about fingerprints. In the first episode, we’ll start with “the first fingerprint of your life.”

Fun Fact 1: Why Do Hospitals Take “Footprints” of Newborns Instead of “Handprints”?

Every time I watch a TV show, I see doctors holding a baby’s tiny foot and pressing it onto a piece of paper to leave a red imprint. Why not take a handprint? Aren’t hands used more often?

There are two reasons, and the second one is especially heartwarming:

1. Fingerprints are too shallow to capture clearly

Newborns have delicate skin, and the papillary ridges (fingerprints) on their fingers aren’t fully developed yet. The ridges are shallow and dense, making it difficult to capture a clear print with traditional ink. If you try to force it, the print smudges into a blur and becomes unrecognizable. Footprints, on the other hand, are relatively larger and clearer, making them the only reliable biometric feature at birth.

2. It’s not that we don’t want to take a handprint—it’s just impossible to pry their fingers open

Experienced moms know that newborns have an incredibly cute instinct: the fist-clenching reflex. Their little hands are clenched tightly, with their thumbs tucked inside the other fingers. If you try to forcefully pry open a baby’s fingers to take a handprint, it’s not only difficult but could also injure their delicate bones.

That’s why collecting a footprint is the best option—it’s simple, safe, and doesn’t disturb a sleeping baby.

A little more context: This footprint isn’t just a keepsake; it’s your baby’s first “temporary ID,” archived in the hospital records. In the extremely rare event of a mix-up, it serves as the basis for reunification. Of course, management is very standardized now, and the probability is extremely low, but this represents a rigorous safeguard.

Fun Fact 2: Fake Fingerprints? You Can Make Them with Silicone—and the Cost Is Shockingly Low!

Many people think “fingerprint hacking” is something that only happens in the movies, but the barrier to entry is actually much lower than you might imagine.

All you need to do is collect your residual fingerprints from a glass cup or a phone screen protector, make a silicone mold, or print it using conductive adhesive. For just a few dozen yuan, you can create a “fake fingerprint sticker” capable of fooling older sensors.

Standard optical or capacitive recognition systems only check if the ridges match; they can’t tell whether what’s pressed against them is living skin or a piece of silicone.

This is why “liveness detection” is necessary.

Xinqihang’s fifth-generation glass-based chip is essentially like equipping the reader with a “life detector.” It leverages the light-transmitting properties of glass and incorporates built-in infrared emitters and receivers.

Fun Fact 3: Where Might Your Fingerprints Have Been Leaked?

Smartphone screens, glass cups, doorknobs, shipping labels, office desks... Anywhere you’ve touched could leave behind a fingerprint.

These residual fingerprints are technically known as “latent fingerprints.” They are invisible to the naked eye but can be revealed using simple methods. With the right tools, someone could extract, photograph, and cast a mold to create a fake fingerprint capable of fooling standard sensors.

This may sound a bit scary, but there’s no need to panic. While the risk is real for standard door locks, you can effectively mitigate it in high-risk scenarios—such as safes, government terminals, and payment devices—by choosing fingerprint recognition products equipped with live detection technology.

When a finger is pressed against it, infrared light penetrates the epidermis. The light signals reflected back from living skin (with blood oxygen flow) and silicone (a non-living material) are completely different.

When a fake fingerprint is pressed against it, the machine simply “plays dead”—it cannot recognize it, and the device remains locked.

Xinqihang's glass-based live fingerprint chip has already been deployed in a variety of applications, including smart door locks, safes, and government service terminals, adding an extra layer of security.