[LINK] ArsTechnica: 'Crawl the Web with your fingers'

[Kim Holburn]

On 2006 Oct 11, at 5:31 PM, Kim Holburn wrote:
> I have seen a report recently of a finger scanner (can't remember  
> references) which takes an image of the patterns of blood flowing  
> through the blood vessels in the finger pad which over-comes the  
> dead finger and gummi bear work-around.  The paybytouch system  
> sounds like it wouldn't cope with a dead finger attack.

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml? 
articleID=190301179&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All

> Biometric Tool Works By Measuring Blood Vessel Patterns
>
>
> Snowflake Technologies plans to bring to market next year a device  
> to verify an individual's identity by reading vein patterns in the  
> palms of people's hands.
>
>
> By Rachel Brown, Red Herring
> InformationWeek
>
> Jul 10, 2006 12:00 AM
>
> In the not-too-distant future, trips to your bank or office may  
> include a little palm reading. With its first round of funding,  
> Snowflake Technologies is betting that its vein-viewing technology  
> will become the new standard in biometrics.
>
> Using the same near-infrared scan technology developed by its  
> parent company, Luminetx, Snowflake plans to bring to market next  
> year a device to verify an individual's identity by reading vein  
> patterns in the palm. This week, it plans to announce private  
> funding of $6 million. The deal was brokered by Starlight  
> Investments through wealth managers Santi.
>
> The biometrics industry is still up for grabs, and Snowflake CEO  
> James Phillips bets vein viewing can beat out more common biometric  
> methods such as fingerprinting and retinal scans. The industry is  
> expected to top $1 billion in 2006, according to IMS Research.
>
> Each person has a unique vein pattern, and Snowflake will "read  
> your veins like a bar code," replacing security devices such as  
> signatures, keys, and passwords, Phillips says. Luminetx, where  
> Phillips also serves as CEO, sells VeinViewer, which makes it  
> easier for health care workers to inject patients with needles on  
> the first try.
>
> The VeinViewer weighs 130 pounds and is priced at $25,000, but  
> Snowflake's biometrics tool will be a fraction of the size and the  
> cost. Phillips wouldn't reveal his pricing plans but says he'll be  
> competitive with other biometrics tools, which run from $400 to  
> $1,000.
>
> The company is developing several prototypes for the security  
> device. Snowflake will target financial institutions and government  
> agencies such as the CIA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security


--
Kim Holburn
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