Fingerprint biometric scanners might be a popular tool for law enforcement and securing smartphones, but it could also help improve vaccination rates in developing countries. Japanese tech firm NEC has developed what it claims is the world’s first fingerprint scanner that can be used to identify newborns and infants.

The purpose of the technology, which was developed in conjunction with Anil Jain, a professor at Michigan State University, is to help track vaccination schedules for infants in developing countries where children often lack any official identification documents. The scanner may help healthcare providers in these areas identify babies and match them as they become older. FULL REPORT