Fujitsu claims to have designed the smallest contact-free palm print authentication sensor which can be used for biometric authentication in PCs. Existing palm print authentication technology requires a person’s palm to be held motionless over device in order to capture an image of the palm.Fujitsu said that its high-speed image-capture function can continuously capture up to 20 frames per second, as well as a feature that can instantly pick out the best image for authentication and automatically verify it. The result is that users do not need to hold their hand motionless over the sensor, as before, but can instead perform authentication by simply placing their palm lightly over the sensor.
The sensor is 29.0 mm wide, 11.2 mm tall, and 29.0 mm thick. The design is based on a photographic optical system that is half as thick as previous models. “This smaller size greatly increases the range of devices into which the sensor can be incorporated,” said Fujitsu.
Biometric authentication is increasingly being used in ID cards and passports to identify individuals based on their biological characteristics. The authentication system reads the pattern of veins in the palm or finger. It can be accurate and is more difficult to forge or impersonate.
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Relying just on a password to keep the data secure on a laptop is not a great idea, especially if it contains very sensitive information. Drive encryption, and the ability to remotely wipe your machine are both becoming popular security options. If you want a uniqie way to identify yourself at login, though, the best choice at the moment is a fingerprint reader which some laptops ship with.
Fujitsu has actually improved upon fingerprint identification, however, and is pushing ahead with vein authentication sensors. These senors look at the palm of your hand and identify your vein pattern which is unique. The benefit of such a system is it requires no contact with the hand. The problems are various, though, with sensors being too big to deploy in a mobile device, and not being able to cope with any movement of your hand meaning lots of bad reads and an extended authentication process for the user. Those problems seem to have been solved now as Fujitsu has just unveiled its smallest and slimmest ever vein sensor, thought to be the smallest in the world. With its size,, it is small enough to be incorporated into a laptop or other portable gadgets.
Fujitsu managed to slim down the sensor significantly by using a new lighting system that fits into half the space of previous models. The result is a sensor that could be an option on your next laptop.
Fujitsu didn’t just stop at miniaturization, though. The other big problem was handling movement, so the new sensor was made capable of capturing multiple images at 20fps. That means it can pick the best image from a sample and get a clearer reading with a vastly improved success rate. It also means a faster authentication process for the user.
Vein authentication is desirable because it relies on an invisible pattern of veins making it very secure. It also requires no contact with the user’s hand making it hygienic for high-traffic authentication, and with Fujitsu’s new sensor it is now very fast and error free too.