Though biometrics are everywhere from e-passports, hospital smart cards and laptop fingerprint scanners, the technology still seems to have an image problem.
Most people are much happier to see the laser scanning of retinas in films than at their local bank.
But with security supposedly this year's (and every other year's) buzzword, companies are facing a critical dilemma - annoy the customers or be accused of negligence.
London-listed Penflow Technology believes it has the answer. The company has developed a biometric security authentication system based on signatures. 'The difference with other biometrics is that a signature is a socially acceptable method of authentication,' Penflow Technology (Asia) director David Ng said.
'When customers go to the bank, they sign because they want to be recognised and identified. It doesn't have negative connotations of fingerprinting, yet a signature biometric is far more secure than an ordinary signature.'
Penflow's technology differs from other biometrics such as retinal scans and hand geometry because it measures a person's unique trait that is behavioural rather than physical.
The software measures a person's signature according to four variables - pressure, speed, acceleration and rhythm (including 'airtime') - which it authenticates against a stored algorithm.