(Credit:
Sony)
Sony is taking biometrics from the surface of the finger to the inside with a new vein authentication technology that could show up on mobile devices within the year.
The compact, camera-based system--called "Mofiria," though we're not sure why--uses a CMOS sensor to diagonally capture scattered light inside the finger veins. Data from the pattern is compressed, making it possible for the information to be stored on gadgets like laptops or cell phones.
Sony says vein authentication technology achieves higher accuracy and produces faster reads than other biometric authentication techniques, such as fingerprint or retinal scans. Finger vein patterns differ from person to person and finger to finger, Sony noted, and do not change over the years. Also, they're much easier to remember than passwords.
Sony claims that false rejection rate for the system is less than 0.1 percent and processing time for identification takes only about 0.015 seconds using a personal computer CPU and about 0.25 seconds using a mobile-phone CPU.
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(Credit:
Fujitsu)
Palm-reading is coming to the desktop. Fujitsu's "PalmSecure" mouse may not foretell how long you'll live, but it does promise to provide some security in keeping intruders out of your PC.
The technology, which we first saw more than a year ago before it evolved into a mouse, is finally making its way to the North American market in June. As Engadget notes, it differs from biometric systems of the fingerprint variety by scanning veins, a system that the company claims is faster and more effective.
As for the lack of fortune-telling features, don't worry. We're guessing that a USB version from SolidAlliance or Brando can't be far off.
Good news for people prone to losing their car keys. Someday soon, all you'll need to start the engine will be the veins in your finger.
Japanese electronics giant Hitachi is bringing its finger vein authentication technology to steering wheels, fitting them with a biometric reader that only starts the engine for drivers with recognizable vein patterns.
(Credit:
Hitachi)
Veins can also be used as switches for the car stereo and navigation system, reports Pink Tentacle, as well as to identify driver preferences, such as seat and mirror position or air conditioner setting.
Hitachi's system--already used in ATMs, computers and cardless payment systems--relies on image sensors and near-infrared light passing through the finger to measure a person's unique vein configuration.
A model car equipped with the biometric steering wheel setup will be on display at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, which takes place from October 27 to November 11. Hitachi hasn't announced when the system will hit the road, but says it hopes to launch it within three or four years.
Vein readers aren't the exclusive domain of Hitachi, however. Fujitsu's PalmSecure technology reads the vein patterns in a human hand to protect access to secure information. Users simply place their right hand over a sensor, which detects the vein pattern and deoxidized hemoglobin within their veins to ensure the user's identity.
And Luminetx, a small medical supply company in Memphis, Tenn., is taking a technology originally developed to help doctors and nurses find veins in patients needing injections and marketing it to banks, credit card companies and even Homeland Security officials.
(Credit:
Fujitsu)
If Fujitsu seems obsessed with the human palm, there's good reason: The company sees it as a key to the future. After experimenting with various forms of its "PalmSecure" technology, the company has come up with a mouse that can double as a palm reader for computer and network security.
Fujitsu calls the device "the world's first mouse capable of scanning the pattern of veins in the user's hand," according to Gizmo Watch. The company claims that palm-reading sensors are easier to use than competing biometric mice that scan fingerprints. We hope they resist any temptation to bling out this useful device, for credibility reasons if not for the sake of taste.
This will bring back painful memories for any parents who have endured the fun experience of having blood samples taken from their kids (or from other adults). It can be an ordeal even under the best of circumstances, when veins are visible, but the situation can get ugly in a hurry when a near-sighted nurse is poking a needle around some sensitive areas.
(Credit:
Luminetx)
But an ingenious technology from bioscience company Luminetx can essentially give health care workers X-ray vision by highlighting veins. The "VeinViewer," according to Gear Live, "works by a near-infrared light highlighting red blood cells captured by video camera, digitizing them, then displaying them below the skin, thereby aiding clinicians to find veins that might otherwise be difficult to discover."
The technology has been in the works for some time, but it's finally starting to be used in significant numbers. And not a moment too soon: It will be even more important if hospitals start transferring robo- receptionists to the labs.
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