New biometric system to identify people from the veins inside their fingers

London, Nov 12 : 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, a technique which is being touted as the most secure form of identification.

According to a report in the Times, 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.

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.

Hitachi claims that because the veins are inside the body, invisible to the eye, it is extremely difficult to forge and impossible to manipulate.

According to the company, 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.

Hitachi said that 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.

The company's system is being used to verify user identities for ATMs, door access systems and computer log-in systems in Japan.

Hitachi has already announced 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.

Now, 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.

ANI