Car thieves could be foiled by a car security system that recognises the unique pattern of veins on a driver’s fingers as they pull the door handle.
The system would stop a thief even if he had stolen the keys to the car, says Japanese company Hitachi, which has developed the technology.
It was demonstrated at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, which runs between 22 October and 6 November. A sensor positioned behind the door handle uses near-infrared light to recognise the pattern of veins across the back of a person’s fingers.
The handle is designed to guide a driver’s hand into the same position each time they open the door, ensuring the finger veins are in the same place for each reading.
Hitachi has not revealed how reliable the system is, but testing information previously produced by the company suggests that the system is as accurate as using finger prints, and requires less data to be stored for each user.
Hitachi has developed authentication systems that use finger veins for controlling access to cash machines, security doors and even computers. The company has also developed a portable, matchbox-sized finger vein reader.