Fraudsters are growing increasingly sophisticated in their efforts to beat identification systems, but Japanese electronics maker Hitachi thinks it has the answer — technology to read your finger veins.
Hitachi said on Tuesday it is launching a global sales push for the system, which uses near-infrared rays to read finger-vein patterns, targeting 100-billion yen ($900-million) in sales over three years from April next year.
It sees a wide range of uses for the system, from door-access controls to computer log systems and automatic cash dispensers, with Japanese banks looking to trial the new technology at automated teller machines.
”Both fingerprints and iris patterns can be more prone to copying by a third person,” noted Hitachi spokesperson Atsushi Konno.
”But finger veins are not directly visible to a third person, which makes them more suitable for security use.”
The group plans to set up special centres focusing on the new technology in its subsidiaries in North America, Europe, China and Asia next month.
Hitachi began researching and developing finger-vein authentication technology in 1997 and says it now has a far larger number of patents than any other companies in this field.
It said biometric authentication systems, such as those using fingerprints and iris patterns, are becoming more prevalent as society grows increasingly information oriented and individuals and companies seek to bolster security.
Hitachi already supplies the technology for use in condominium entry systems as well as to companies and schools to identify computer users, Konno said. — Sapa-AFP