Accessing External Hardware Devices from ASP.NET

Question

Hi,

I have a requirement in such a way, that a .NET web application interacts with a bio-metric(fingerprint reader), Credit Card reader kind of hardware devices.

How this can be achieved. Is it possible...? 

Required below scenarios....

- Capture fingerprint while registration and store it in database

- Validate the fingerprint data stored in database while login.

- In which format fingerprint data is stored in database.

Please let me the same procedures with an WPF application....Let me know the API's if any..

Many thanks  in advance...!