Answer Description
A smart card is a physical authorization device. It is similar to a credit card with an embedded chip. A computer's operating system can be configured to allow login using a combination of a username, password, pin number and smard card.
Wikipedia
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC) is a physical electronic authorization device, used to control access to a resource It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip Many smart cards include a pattern of metal contacts to electrically connect to the internal chip Others are contactless, and some are both Smart cards can provide personal identification, authentication, data storage, and application processing Applications include identification, financial, mobile phones (SIM), public transit, computer security, schools, and healthcare Smart cards may provide strong security authentication for single sign-on (SSO) within organizations
Smart_card - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia