A university in Buenos Aires, Argentina could be set to issue multi-function, biometric-enabled student ID cards. The cards will come from manufacturer SmartMetric via the company’s regional distributor Grupo Datco.

As reported by Biometric Update, the university will use the biometric enabled cards to secure logical and physical access on campus.

The university will leverage SmartMetric's biometric card that uses a fingerprint to activate the card in a secure-on-card scan and match. The cards are self-powered with a rechargeable battery and conform to ISO size standards for credit cards.

The card can be used with standard desktop smart card readers for logical access, as well as feature RFID MiFare technology to enable the card to be used for door and building access.

The biometric card can also act as an ID card and support identity verification of the card holder without being inserted into a reader. Two bright LED lights indicate green or red when the card holder touches the card's surface -- green indicates a positive match, while red denotes a negative one.

SmartMetric’s RFID MiFare and smart card chips integrated in the cards are FIPS approved, and the cards’ thin fingerprint scanners allow them to be used with standard card readers.

In addition to the higher education deployment in Argentina, the company reports interest in the biometric cards from both the Department of Defense and Homeland Security.