Palm vein authentication is one of a modality of biometric authentications, and is classified as a physiological biometric authentication. It uses palm vein patterns, a vascular image of a person’s palm which can be seen as a kind of pattern, as personal information. The palm vein patterns are normally captured under near-infrared illumination using the reflection method, in which near infrared rays are emitted from a person's palm and the reflected light is captured. [3]

Figure 1. Benefits of Palm Vein Technology

Figure 1 shows palm vein scan is a biometric that works by using infrared light to map the unique vein structure of your palm, capturing over 5 million data points. The palm vein scanner then converts these data points into a unique encrypted code that becomes your biometric ID. [2]

Benefits of Using Palm Vein Recognition

1. Security

Given the possibilities of modern technology, many biometric identifiers, like face or voice patterns, can easily become subject to forgery. However, palm vein patterns are hidden inside the human's body and, therefore, appear extremely difficult to capture without a person knowing it. This enhances the level of security and reliability of palm scanning as an authentication technology. Moreover, encryption of the data makes it less susceptible to being compromised.

2. Privacy

Unlike the face, which is visible to anyone in a public place, palm vein patterns cannot be scanned from a distance without a person's consent. The procedure of taking a palm vein scan normally requires a subject's active cooperation (e.g., putting a hand in front of the sensor). In addition, even during the process, the pattern itself does not become exposed to the people around. This makes this technology less subject to privacy concerns.

3. Accuracy

The palm vein pattern is significantly bigger in size than those of the finger or iris. Consequently, the scan from it contains more data, which increases the accuracy of the identification. For example, statistics show that the false rejection rate for it is 260 times smaller than for face recognition.

4. Reliability

Unlike many other biometric parameters (face, fingerprints), palm vein patterns are not likely to change due to some unexpected circumstances over the course of a person's life. In addition, palm vein scanners are not particularly sensitive to external conditions like humidity, which minimizes the negative impact of random environmental factors on its performance.

5. Hygiene

One more important advantage of the palm vein scan process is that it does not require physical contact with the scanner. It becomes an especially attractive feature in cases when the scanner has to be used by a lot of people, so it would be difficult to keep it sterile. [1]

References:

1. https://recfaces.com/articles/palm-vein-scan
2. https://www.keyo.co/biometric-news/5-reasons-why-palm-vein-scan-is-the-best-biometric
3. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-0-387-73003-5_129

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2021) Benefits of Palm Vein Technology, AnaTechmaz, pp. 29