Qualcomm is taking on passwords with a new authentication system it calls "the mobile industry's first biometric security platform based on ultrasonic technology."

Unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Sense ID 3D fingerprint technology is designed for more secure password-less authentication. The technology uses ultrasonic sound waves to "directly penetrate" the outer layers of the skin and capture 3D details that you can't get with current touch-based fingerprint technologies.

"This generates a highly detailed surface map of the fingerprint, which is extremely difficult to imitate or spoof," according to a YouTube video about the new technology. Check it out in action from MWC in the Vine below.

The Sense ID fingerprint technology can scan and match your fingerprint through a variety of device materials, including steel, aluminum, glass, and plastics. It can even "power through common contaminants" that might be present on your finger finger, like sweat, condensation, and hand lotion.

Qualcomm said this all amounts to a "more accurate scan than capacitive touch-based solutions." When coupled with Qualcomm's SecureMSM technology and the FIDO Alliance's Universal Authentication Framework protocol, integrated into Snapdragon processors, it also promises more secure and convenient online access for users.

"Mobile devices increasingly store our most valuable and sensitive information, while passwords alone do not provide the protection consumers deserve," Raj Talluri, senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm, said in a statement. "Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology's unique use of ultrasonic technology revolutionizes biometrics from 2D to 3D, allowing for greater accuracy, privacy and stronger authentication."

Expect the Sense ID fingerprint technology to make its way to commercial devices starting later this year. At this point, the technology is already in "various sampling stages" with most major OEMs, Qualcomm said.