NEC develops world’s first contactless finger scanner

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NEC Corp has launched the world’s first device to simultaneously acquire fingerprint and finger vein characteristics without physical contact. Worldwide shipment of the “HS100-10 Contactless Hybrid Finger Scanner” (HS100-10) is scheduled to begin in May.

The HS100-10’s simultaneous acquisition of both fingerprint and finger vein information makes it particularly difficult for impostors to deceive the authentication system using it. Moreover, the system’s contactless sensor is robust against the characteristics of fingers that are exceedingly dry or moist with exceptional accuracy, which is difficult for conventional contact-based fingerprint authentication devices.

Furthermore, the HS100-10’s USB interface allows users to connect with a PC in order to logon to its operating system or unlock its screen saver in both a stand-alone environment and an ActiveDirectory environment.

The HS100-10 is also compatible with major access management software, including IBM’s “Tivoli Access Manager for Enterprise Single Sign-On” and Novell’s “Novell SecureLogin.” This combination of support for ID and access management with biometric data significantly reduces user concerns regarding the proliferation of user IDs and passwords.

NEC said it will provide the “Hybrid Finger Authentication Development Library” in order for the HS100-10 to be used with a broad range of business packages and user applications. Future, development plans include a steady rollout of solutions linked with business applications such as electronic medical records system.

Currently, there is an increasing demand for more stringent management of personal authentication and internal controls geared for business and government. Under these conditions, fingerprint authentication is a highly accurate and secure technique that is already used for a wide variety of purposes. When used in combination with NEC’s originally developed vein authentication advancements, these biometric authentication technologies are a formidable defense against identity theft.