The uniqueness of fingerprints can generally be classified into two main categories. The first is the key global pattern of the fingerprints. The key global patterns include loops, whorls and arches. The other category is the local pattern of the ridges, known as minutiae. These patterns include short ridge, ridge ending, bifurcation, dot and island. X-bio Fingerprint Technology is an automated approach of fingerprint recognition using the minutiae approach. Almost all of the automatic fingerprint identification system (AFIS) in use by law-enforcement agencies are minutiae based.

Accurate extraction of the minutiae is important to achieve high accuracy. X-bio fingerprint technology incorporates a proprietary adaptive algorithm that is capable of extracting the minutiae directly from the grey scale fingerprint images. The advantage of this algorithm is that no thresholding and thinning operation is required.

Therefore, there is minimal distortion to the actual fingerprints, allowing the minutiae extraction algorithm to verify the existence of minutiae. Usually, the fingerprints are smeared by sweat, contain noise due to dirt, scars, peeling skins and possibly deformed due to variation in pressure or finger placement.

The adaptive tracking algorithm used in X-bio fingerprint technology provides robustness to these noises and minor distortions and is not affected by the size of the fingerprint; a child finger or an adult finger. X-bio fingerprint technology is accurate due to this unique minutiae extraction algorithm.