Inkless Fingerprinting: The History, Classification, and Analysis of Scanners

The article examines the theoretical and practical aspects of the non‑ink fingerprinting method. It analyses the history of the method’s development in criminology and provides a description of optical, capacitive, and ultrasonic scanners. The main features of different types of scanners are identified, as well as the similarities between them. Special attention is paid to domestic developments and their comparison with foreign counterparts. It is emphasised that the comparability of the scanners’ properties is determined by the requirements of foreign and domestic technical regulation acts. It has been concluded that there is a need to develop educational fingerprint scanners, which, given the limited resources, could be used in the educational process instead of professional solutions.