ID-Pod Advantages over Other Biometric Authentication Solutions
Back to ID-POD
Palm vein authentication offers a number of salient advantages versus other biometric security methods. These advantages can be grouped into two categories: 1) security and accuracy, and 2) performance and usability.
Robust Security and Accuracy
Palm vein scanning cuts the risk of security breaches because the veins are deep under the skin and arranged in very complicated, hard-to-reproduce patterns. Since vein patterns are unique to each individual, they are suitable for one-to-many matching, for which hand geometry and face recognition may not be suitable. Fingerprints, in contrast, are based on making contact, and can be “lifted” from a glass surface and duplicated using ingredients found in your corner drug store.
Equally important, with regard to authentication accuracy, comparative testing conducted by the International Biometric Group[1] showed that palm vein technology had extremely low false acceptance rates (FAR) and false rejection rates (FRR), outperforming a number of competitor products at standard and high security. Performance differences between same-day and different-day transactions were also minimal when compared to other products in the evaluation. Thus, once users learned how to use the device, they were able to use it successfully on an ongoing basis. This data further confirms that palm vein authentication features high accuracy and optimal usability, both of which are highly relevant to real-world conditions.
High Performance and Usability
Palm vein scanning is relatively unaffected by external factors. Dirt or scratches on fingers can interfere with a fingerprint scan. Eye size and wearing glasses can affect how well a retina or iris scan works, respectively. Palm vein scanning, on the other hand, does not have such a weak point and even works while wearing latex gloves, which adds greatly to its convenience in specific applications.
Palm vein authentication is also superior for use in public areas, where you never know who used the kiosk before you. It’s contactless – you hold your hand in the air while it’s being scanned – so there is no need to worry about hygiene. Moreover, many people have an aversion to fingerprinting, as it is commonly associated with criminal activity.
Results of the International Biometric Group’s Comparative Biometric Testing (CBT) published in December 2006 revealed that palm vein technology, based on the Fujitsu PalmSecure™ device, performed exceptionally well in the failure to enroll (FTE) testing. Only one person out of 1290 did not finish the enrollment process given the test criteria, a failure rate of only .08%. Additionally, the palm vein authentication device achieved a median Recognition Attempt Duration of 2.13 seconds, significantly lower than that of iris recognition technology. This further highlights the technology’s high usability, making it ideal for high-volume and large-scale application deployments.
The International Biometric Group: http://www.biometricgroup.com/