Japanese finger vein ID device firm sets up in Hong Kong as part of Asia push
More reliable than fingerprint scanning, the new technology is expected to be adapted for use in ATMs or miniaturised for mobile phones
A Japanese company developing finger vein identity authentication devices is set to open a Hong Kong office as it expands the use of the technology beyond its home market.
Japanese firm T4U is developing the technology for use in financial institutions as the unique pattern of veins inside a person’s finger is difficult to fake and, unlike fingerprints or face shape, is constant across a person’s lifetime.
“Fingerprints and irises are on the outside of the body, but veins are inside the body … so using finger veins makes copy or misuse impossible,” said Osamu Nakahashi, president of T4U.
The technology scans the underside of a user’s finger by passing light from infrared LEDs through the finger. Hemoglobin in the blood absorbs the light, marking out the unique pattern of the veins which is captured by a CMOS sensor and then matched against a database.
Each 0.3 second scan takes three images to compare to the database and because the technology relies on blood flow, the device can only be used on living subjects, according to Nakahashi.
The technology, which was patented by companies including Sony, is being developed by a series of companies, with plans to adapt the scanners for use in ATMs or to be miniaturised for mobile phones.