Active Thermal®
A patented sensing technology utilising heat. Potential for many different applications where smart heat sensing is important — security applications, AI applications and more. Backed by 25+ years of R&D and a current portfolio of 14 patent families, with 38 granted patents and the Active Thermal® trademark.
Heat, measured — not light, not charge.
Heat, measured at every pixel: a thin heater sits behind the surface. Where a fingerprint ridge touches, heat leaves the sensor; where a valley floats in the air gap, it stays. Each pixel reads that difference and the pattern of ridges and valleys emerges as an image. Because it is heat — not light or sound — it is unaffected by dirt, water, oil, bright sunlight or finger age, and the same process builds sensors on rigid and flexible substrates alike.
Emit
Each pixel in the thin-film array releases a tiny, controlled pulse of heat.
Measure
Ridges touching the sensor draw heat away faster than the air gaps of valleys.
Image
The heat-transfer map becomes a high-quality fingerprint image, up to 500 ppi.
Verify liveness
Human skin reacts to heat differently from silicone, gelatine or prints — spoofs are rejected in hardware.
Why Active Thermal
Secure & future-proof
In-built hardware anti-spoofing and leading liveness detection, proven in national ID, banking and government programs.
Cost-effective to integrate
Thin, energy-efficient sensors on LTPS thin-film-transistor glass fit standard display manufacturing lines and lower total solution cost.
Built for harsh conditions
Immune to direct sunlight, works indoors and outdoors, in humidity and with sweaty fingers, with low sensitivity to electrical noise.
| Sensor type | Principle | Large FAP area | Hardware liveness | Sunlight immune |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optical | Reflected light image | Yes | Limited | No |
| Capacitive | Electrical charge | Costly | Limited | Yes |
| Ultrasonic | Sound wave echo | Costly | Partial | Yes |
| Active Thermal® | Active heat transfer | Yes, thin & low-cost | Yes | Yes |
In the example under you can see the differences between the three different sensor types: Optical, Capacitive, and Active Thermal.
IP Licensing
Demand for secure, seamless and high-performance biometric identification and authentication keeps growing. Our patented Active Thermal technology offers a rare opportunity for companies looking to strengthen and expand their own product portfolios.
Heatcore Labs' intellectual property and patented technology is available for commercialization through licensing, technology partnerships and other strategic opportunities. By partnering with Heatcore Labs, established technology companies, biometric solution providers and manufacturers gain access to differentiated sensor technology — and accelerate the development of next-generation biometric products.
Licensing patented sensor technology lets manufacturers build trusted, resilient products with drastically improved time-to-market. We create long-term value by bringing our patented innovations to market through strategic partners. Get in touch to discuss licensing.