[Infowarrior] - Veins the new fingerprints?

[Richard Forno]

Why veins could replace fingerprints and retinas as most secure form  
of ID
Mike Harvey, Technology Correspondent
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5129384.ece

Forget fingerprinting. Companies in Europe have begun to roll out an  
advanced biometric system from Japan that identifies people from the  
unique patterns of veins inside their fingers.

Finger vein authentication, introduced widely by Japanese banks in the  
last two years, is claimed to be the fastest and most secure biometric  
method. Developed by Hitachi, it verifies a person's identity based on  
the lattice work of minute blood vessels under the skin.

Easydentic Group, a European leader in the biometric industry based in  
France, has announced that it will be using Hitachi's finger vein  
security in a range of door access systems for the UK and European  
markets.

In Japan, thousands of cash machines are operated by finger vein  
technology. Hitachi announced today that it will introduce 20,000  
finger vein authentication systems at shops and kiosks belonging to  
two Japanese companies, which will use the devices to protect the  
privacy of customer information by requiring storeworkers to  
authenticate themselves before accessing the customer database.

The pattern of blood vessels is captured by transmitting near-infrared  
light at different angles through the finger, usually the middle  
finger. This can be done in a small instrument attached to a wall or  
as part of an ATM machine. The light is partially absorbed by  
haemoglobin in the veins and the pattern is captured by a camera as a  
unique 3D finger vein profile. This is turned into a simple digital  
code which is then matched with a pre-registered profile to verify an  
individual's identity. Even twins are said to have different finger  
vein patterns.

Hitachi claims that because the veins are inside the body, invisible  
to the eye, it is extremely difficult to forge and impossible to  
manipulate. While fingerprints can be "lifted" and retinas scanned  
without an individual realising it, it is extremely unlikely that  
people's finger vein profiles can be taken without them being aware of  
it, the company says.

The gruesome possibility that criminals may hack off a finger has  
already been discounted by Hitachi's scientists. Asked if  
authentication could be "forged" with a severed finger, the company  
says: "As blood would flow out of a disconnected finger,  
authentication would no longer be possible."

Hitachi says finger vein authentication is less expensive than iris  
scanning or face/voice recognition and that the false rejection rate  
is much lower than with fingerprinting. And people don't have to  
remember a pin number. Hitachi's system is being used to verify user  
identities for ATMs, door access systems and computer log-in systems  
in Japan.

An alternative technique, developed by Fujitsu, scans the palms of  
people's hands to identify a similarly unique vein pattern. This  
system has also been gaining international recognition. It was  
recently installed at Carolinas HealthCare System, based in Charlotte,  
North Carolina, the first healthcare provider in the United States to  
implement this technology.

The palm scanners, which are linked to hospitals' patient registration  
databases, are used at admitting, the emergency department, one-day  
surgery, and all inpatient and outpatient registration points. "Most  
recently, we have begun a rollout to physician practice settings for  
our physicians network," said Steve Burr, vice president of patient  
financial services.