palm vein technology

PALM VEIN TECHNOLOGY

ABSTRACT

With the increase in technology threat to personal data and national security had also

increased .The methods that were developed to secure important information from outside

intervention were not up to safe mark .There was a need to introduce a technology that secures our

data more efficiently from unlawful intervention .

Fujitsu has developed a palm vein pattern authentication technology that uses vascular

patterns as personal identification data .Vein recognition technology is secure because the

authentication data exists inside the body and is therefore very difficult to forge. It is highly

accurate. This technology can be used in various fields like banking, hospitals, government offices,

in passport issuing etc. Business growth will be achieved with these solutions by reducing the size of

the palm vein sensor and shortening the authentication time. This paper is about the palm vein

technology, its applications, how this technology is applied in real time applications and the

advantages of using this technology.

EC-VLSI SYSTEM DESIGN of 23


Introduction

In the ubiquitous network society, where individuals can easily access their

information any time and anywhere, people are also faced with the risk that others can easily access

the same information anytime and anywhere. Because of this risk, personal identification technology

is used which includes passwords, personal identification numbers and identification cards.

However, cards can be stolen and passwords and numbers can be guessed or forgotten. To solve

these problems, Fujitsu developed four methods: fingerprints, faces, voice prints and palm veins.

Among these, because of its high accuracy, contact less palm vein authentication technology is being

incorporated into various financial solution products for use in public places. This paper palm vein

authentication technologies and some examples of its application to financial solutions.



Various types of biometrics

Biometrics authentication is a growing and controversial field in which civil liberties groups

express concern over privacy and identity issues. Today, biometric laws and regulations are in

process and biometric industry standards are being tested. Automatic recognition based on “who you

are” as opposed to “what you know” (PIN) or “what you have” (ID card). Recognition of a person

by his body & then linking that body to an externally established identity forms a very powerful tool

for identity management Biometric Recognition. Figure 1 shows the different type of biometric

authentication. Canadian airports started using iris scan in 2005 to screen pilots and airport workers.

Pilots were initially worried about the possibility that repeated scans would negatively affect their

vision but the technology has improved to the point where that is no longer an issue. Canada

Customs uses an iris scan system called CANPASS-Air for low-risk travelers at Pearson airport.

Junichi Hashimoto, 2006, has introduced finger vein authentication, a new biometric method

utilizing the vein patterns inside one’s fingers for personal identification. Vein patterns are different

for each finger and for each person, and as they are hidden underneath the skin’s surface, forgery is

extremely difficult. These unique aspects of finger vein pattern recognition set it apart from previous

forms of biometrics and have led to its adoption by the major Japanese financial institutions as their

newest security technology.

Irish scan finger scan face scan



Palm vein scan sensor scan

Various Biometric Systems

Yuhang Ding, Dayan Zhuang and Kejun Wang, July 2005[2], have shown the theoretical

foundation and difficulties of hand vein recognition, at first. Then, the threshold segmentation

method and thinning method of hand vein image are deeply studied and a new threshold

segmentation method and an improved conditional thinning method are proposed. The method of

hand vein image feature extraction based on end points and crossing points is studied initially, and

the matching method based on distances is used to match vein images.

Shi Zhao, Yiding Wang and Yunhong Wang, proposed [3] a biometric technique using hand-

dorsa, extracting vein structures. For conventional algorithm, it is necessary to use high-quality

images, which demand high-priced collection devices. The proposed method makes using low-cost

devices possible. The results shown that they could extract the vein networks as successfully as

using high-quality images Masaki Watanabe, Toshio Endoh, Morito Shiohara, and Shigeru [4] have

shown a biometric authentication using contactless palm vein authentication device that uses blood

vessel patterns as a personal identifying factor. Implementation of these contactless identification

systems enables applications in public places or in environments where hygiene standards are

required, such as in medical applications. In addition, sufficient consideration was given to

individuals who are reluctant to come into direct contact with publicly used devices.



Key features of palm vein authentication

Complex biometric pattern

Extreme high level of accuracy and security

Ideally prevented inside the body

Unchanged for life

Unique to individuals

No influence of Skin color

Skin contamination

Shallow injury

Non-invasive near infrared radiation



Palm Vein Authentication Workflow

An individual inserts a smart card into the sensor device and holds her hand over the reader.

The vein pattern is instantly captured using a completely safe near-infrared light. The reader

converts the image into an encrypted biometric template and compares it against the template on the

smart card (1 to 1 matching) or those in the database (1 to N matching).

Using a built-in speaker, the device instructs the user to place his hand over the device and

informs the user when the scan is complete. In the example below, the template is stored in a smart

card. This enhances security since the template never leaves the card. Alternatively, the reference

templates can be stored in a database on a server (1 to N matching).

The first step in all palm vein authentication applications is the enrollment process, which

scans the user's palm and records the unique pattern as an encrypted biometric template in the

database or on the smart card itself. In banking applications, for example, once a new customer has

been issued a smart card, he/she is asked to visit the bank in order to enroll her vein data.



Schematic of the hand vein pattern imaging module.

Whereas Mohamed Shahin, Ahmed Badawi, and Mohamed Kamel proposed , biometric

authentication using hand vein patterns, they designed a system a near IR cold source to provide

back-of-hand illumination. The IR cold source is a solid-state array of 24 LEDs (light emitting

diodes). The diodes are mounted in a square shape,LEDs in each side, on a designed and assembled

PCB (printed circuit board) and made housing and an attachment for fixing the LEDs around the

CCD lens. Our experiments showed that the cold source provides better contrast than the ordinary

tungsten filament bulbs. A commercially available, low cost, monochrome CCD fitted with an IR

filter is used to image the back of hand.



Block diagram of hand veins processing stage

Palm Vein Technology Reviews

The Basis of Palm Vein Technology

An individual first rests his wrist, and on some devices, the

middle of his fingers, on the sensor's supports such that the palm is

held centimeters above the device's scanner, which flashes a near-

infrared ray on the palm. Unlike the skin, through which near-

infrared light passes, deoxygenated hemoglobin in the blood

flowing through the veins absorbs near-infrared rays, illuminating the

hemoglobin, causing it to be visible to the scanner. Arteries and capillaries, whose blood contains


veins in palm


oxygenated hemoglobin, which does not absorb near-infrared light, are invisible to the sensor. The

still image captured by the camera, which photographs in the near-infrared range, appears as a black

network, reflecting the palm's vein pattern against the lighter background of the palm.

An individual's palm vein image is converted by algorithms into data points, which is then

compressed, encrypted, and stored by the software and registered along with the other details in his

profile as a reference for future comparison. Then, each time a person logs in attempting to gain

access by a palm scan to a particular bank account or secured entryway, etc., the newly captured

image is likewise processed and compared to the registered one or to the bank of stored files for

verification, all in a period of seconds. Numbers and positions of veins and their crossing points are

all compared and, depending on verification, the person is either granted or denied access.

Registering through palm vein technology

Step 1:

Palm vein authentication technology consists of a small palm

vein scanner that's easy and natural to use, fast and highly accurate.

Simply hold your palm a few centimeters over the scanner and

within a second it reads your unique vein pattern. A vein picture is

taken and palm pattern is registered.

Step 2:

Original Palm Registered pattern.

Scanned palm


Scanner Display

Process of Registration

Palm on Sensor


The registered palm pattern is stored into the database along with the personal details of the client.

Working of palm vein security systems

1. One should place his/her palm Near to scanner.

Palm vein scans are about to make their American debut. Used in Japanese automated teller

machines for more than five years, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) recently

announced that by next year all students who want to attend business school will be required to take

a palm vein scan to verify their identity.

"It's easy to steal a fingerprint," said Hiroko Naito, a member of Fujitsu's PalmSecure Team

that developed the technology. "Palm vein information physically resides inside the patient, making

it harder to steal."

The palm scans are designed to thwart proxy test taking, a scam where an applicant pays

someone else (the proxy) to take the test for them so they can get a higher score than they otherwise

would. The palm vein scans wouldn't stop other forms of test fraud, such as test question collection

or calling different time zones with the test questions.

A palm vein scan works like this: A person would hold their hand, palm down, over a

computer mouse-sized sensor for a few seconds -- not touching anything. Near-infrared light, the

same near-infrared light that changes your television channel, shines out. Most of the light bounces

back to the detector and shows up as white on the scan.

Some of the light is absorbed by the veins, and creates dark lines on the otherwise ghostly-

looking hand.

The difference between light and dark is basic anatomy. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood.

Veins carry oxygen-poor blood. When red blood cells drop off oxygen they change. Instead of

reflecting near-infrared light, the red blood cells in veins absorb it.

It's like a fingerprint inside the body, said Naito, except it's more accurate and harder to fake.

Fujitsu claims their palm scanner is roughly 100 times more accurate than the average

fingerprint. Instead of comparing pictures of swirling, curling fingerprints visually, the palm scanner


Fig 3.3.1: Infra red on Palm

Short region on palm


converts the vein scan into digital data that is then run through a computer algorithm that compares

the hand hovering above the scanner with the data in memory to authorize access.

If an unauthorized person wanted to gain access it would be difficult. A person's fingerprints

can be lifted easily and replicated with some difficulty. It's much harder to gain access to a palm vein

profile since people don't leave traces of it on every object they touch with their hands.

The hand also has to be alive, exchanging gasses, and full of blood for the veins to show up

on the scan. In grim terms, that means a person couldn't cut off another person's hand and hold it

over the scanner.

2. The scanner makes use of a special characteristic of the reduced hemoglobin coursing through

the palm veins — it absorbs near-infrared light. This makes it

possible to take a snapshot of what's beneath the outer

skin, something very hard to read or steal.

3. The integrated optical system in the palm vein sensor uses

this phenomenon to generate an image of the palm vein pattern

and the generated image is digitized, encrypted and finally

stored as a registered template in the database.

PERFORMANCE METRICS OF BIOMETRIC SYSTEM

FALSE ACCEPTANCE RATE (FAR)

The probability that the system incorrectly matches the input pattern to a non-matching

template in the database. It measures the percent of invalid inputs which are incorrectly accepted .

FALSE REJECTION RATE (FRR)



The probability that the system fails to detect a match between the input pattern and

amatching template in the database. It measures the percent of valid inputs which areincorrectly

rejected

.

EQUAL ERROR RATE

OR

CROSSOVER ERROR RATE (EER OR CER)

The rate at which both accept and reject errors are equal. The value of the EER can beeasily

obtained from the ROC curve . The EER is a quick way to compare the accuracyof devices with

different ROC curves. In general, the device with the lowest EER is mostaccurate. Obtained from

the ROC plot by taking the point where FAR and FRR have thesame value. The lower the EER, the

more accurate the system is considered to be.

RELATIVE OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS

OR

RECEIVER OPERATINGCHARACTERISTICS (ROC)

The ROC plot is a visual characterization of the trade-off between the FAR and the FRR.In

general, the matching algorithm performs a decision based on a threshold whichdetermines how

close to a template the input needs to be for it to be considered amatch. If the threshold is reduced,

there will be less false non-matches but more falseaccepts. Correspondingly, a higher threshold will

reduce the FAR but increase the FRR.

A common variation is the Detection error trade-off (DET), which is obtained usingnormal

deviate scales on both axes. This more linear graph illuminates the differences for higher

performances (rarer errors).



Receiver operating characteristics (graph between FRR and FAR).

Graph showing EER identification by plotting FAR and FRR on samegraph.



FAILURE TO ENROL RATE (FTE OR FER)

The rate at which attempts to create a template from an input is unsuccessful. This is most

commonly caused by low quality inputs.

FAILURE TO CAPTURE RATE (FTC)

Within automatic systems, the probability that the system fails to detect a biometric

inputwhen presented correctly

TEMPLATE CAPACITY

The maximum number of sets of data which can be stored in the system

How Secure is the Technology?

On the basis of testing the technology on more than 70,000 individuals , Fujitsu

declared that the new system had a false rejection rate of 0.01% (i.e., only one out of 10,000

scans were incorrect denials for access), and a false acceptance rate of less than 0.00008% (i.e.,

incorrect approval for access in one in over a million scans). Also, if your profile is registered

with your right hand, don't log in with your left - the patterns of an individual's two hands differ.

And if you registered your profile as a child , it'll still be recognized as you grow, as an

individual's patterns of veins are established in utero (before birth). No two people in the world

share a palm vein pattern - even those of identical twins differ. In addition the devices ability to

perform personal authentication was verified using the following:

1. Data from people ranging from 6 to 85 years old including people in various occupations

in accordance with the demographics realized by the Statistics Center of the Statistics Bureau.

2. Data about foreigners living in Japan in accordance with the world demographics released

by the United Nations.


Contact less

sensor


3. Data taken in various situations in daily life including gafter drinking alcohol, taking a

bath, going outside and waking up.

What happens if the registered palm gets damaged?

There may be a chance that the palm we had

registered may get damaged then we cannot use this

technology, so during the time of registration we take

the veins of both the hands so that if one gets damaged

we can access through the second hand. When hand get

damaged up to large extent we can get veins because

deeper into the hand veins are obtained. When we apply

this method we can maintain complete privacy.

Contact less palm vein authentication device

(HYGIENE CONCERN):

The completely contact less feature of this device makes it

suitable for use where high levels of hygiene are required .It also

eliminates any hesitation people might have about coming into contact

with something that other people have already touched

In addition to being contact less and thereby hygienic and user-

friendly in that the user does not need to physically touch a surface and is

free of such hygiene concerns, palm vein authentication is highly secure

in that the veins are internal to the body and carry a wealth of information,

thereby being extremely difficult to forge.


Fig 3.5: Registering two palms


COMPARISON WITH OTHER BIOMETRICTECHNOLOGIES

ADVANTAGES

In addition to the palm, vein authentication can be done using the vascular pattern on the

back of a hand or a finger. However, the palm vein pattern is the most complex and covers the

widest area, because the palm has no hair, it is easier to photograph its vascular pattern. The palm

also has no significant variations in skin color compared with fingers or back of the hand, where

the color can darken in certain areas.

Advantages of using the palm:

In addition to the palm, vein authentication can be done using the vascular pattern on the

back of the hand or a finger. However, the palm vein pattern is the most complex and covers the

widest area. Because the palm has no hair, it is easier to photograph its vascular pattern. The palm



also has no significant variations in skin color compared with fingers or the back of the hand, where

the color can darken in certain areas.

Advantages of reflection photography:

There are two methods of photographing veins: reflection and transm ission. Fujitsu employs

the reflection method.

The reflection method illuminates the palm and photographs the light that is reflected back

from the palm, while the transmission method photographs light that passes straight through the

hand. Both types capture the near-infrared light given off by the region used for identification after

diffusion through the hand.

An important difference between the reflection method and transmission method is how they

respond to changes in the hand’s light transmittance. When the body cools due to a lowered ambient

temperature, the blood vessels (in particular the capillaries) contract, decreasing the flow of blood

through the body. This increases the hand’s light transmittance, so light passes through it more

easily. If the transmittance is too high, the hand can become saturated with light and light can easily

pass through the hand. In the transmission method, this results in a lighter, less-contrasted image in

which it is difficult to see the vessels. However, a high light transmittance does not significantly

affect the level or contrast of the reflected light. Therefore, with the reflection method, the vessels

can easily be seen even when the hand/body is cool.

The system configurations of the two methods are also different. The reflection method

illuminates the palm and takes photographs reflected back from the palm, so the illumination and

photography components can be positioned in the same place. Conversely, because the transmission

method photographs light that passes through the hand, the illumination and photography

components must be placed in different locations. This makes it difficult for the system to be

embedded into smaller devices such as notebook PCs or cellular phones. Fujitsu has conducted an

in-depth study of the necessary optical components to reduce the size of the sensor, making it more

suitable for embedded applications.

Completely contactless design minimizes hygiene concerns and psychological resistance:

Fujitsu is a pioneer in designing a completely contactless palm vein authentication device. With this

device, authentication simply involves holding a hand over the vein sensor.



The completely contactless feature of this device makes it suitable for use where high levels

of hygiene are required, such as in public places or medical facilities. It also eliminates any

hesitation people might have about coming into contact with something that other people have

already touched.

High authentication accuracy:

Using the data of 140,000 palms from 70,000 individuals, Fujitsu has confirmed that the

system has a false acceptance rate of less than 0.00008% and a false rejection rate of 0.01%,

provided the hand is held over the device three times during registration, with one retry for

comparison during authentication. In addition, the device’s ability to perform personal authentication

was verified using the following: 1) data from people ranging from 5 to 85 years old, including

people in various occupations in accordance with the demographics released by the Statistics Center

of the Statistics Bureau; 2) data about foreigners living in Japan in accordance with the world

demographics released by the United Nations; 3) data taken in various situations in daily life,

including after drinking alcohol, taking a bath, going outside, and waking up.

Another advantage of palm vein scanners over fingerprints is that more people can use them.

By most estimates, about 2 percent of people don't have readable fingerprints. Anything from a

missing finger to dry skin can throw off a fingerprint.

Some of the driest hands are found on doctors and nurses, who have to scrub and wash their

hands many times a day, drying the skin and rubbing down fingerprints. Fujitsu expects hospitals

will be another big market for palm vein scanners.

Palm vein scans have been used in Japanese ATM's for more than five years but have only

recently made their way across the Pacific Ocean.

Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)-takers in South Korea and India will use the

scanners starting next month. Some U.S. testers will use the scanners starting this fall, and by May,

all of business school applicants will use the technology.

While a firm price for the palm vein scanners hasn't been set by Fujitsu, it is estimated that it

will be below $1,000. That means it will be more expensive than fingerprinting, but should be much

less expensive than iris scanners, the gold standard of biometric scans which can cost around

$10,000 each.


http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/02/12/wisdomdoor_tec.html

http://science.howstuffworks.com/fingerprinting.htm


More than 230,000 GMAT tests are administered each year at a cost of $250 for each test.

The GMAC, which administers the GMAT, says that the cost of the test will not increase because of

the palm scanners.

The scanners should help deter cheaters, said Donald McCabe, a researcher at Rutgers

University who has studied cheating across academic disciplines and found that business school

students self-report the most cheating.

"Making people take palm scans is unfortunate for people who do their work honestly; it says

we don't trust you," said McCabe. "But in the end it will be a good thing, because it will help ensure

that people who deserve a spot in business school get it."

APPLICATIONS

This palm vein authentication technology is used in various areas for more security.

The following are some of the important areas where it is used:

ATM:

In July 2004, to ensure customer security, Suruga bank launched its “Bio Security Deposit”

the world’s first financial service to use Palm Secure. This service features high security for

customers using vein authentication , does not require a bank card or pass book and prevents

withdrawals from branches other than the registered branch and ATMs thereby minimizing the

risk of fraudulent withdrawals. To open a Bio-Security Deposit account, customers go to a bank

and have their palm veins photographed at the counter in order to guarantee secure data



management, the palm vein data is stored only on the vein data base server at the branch office

where the account is opened...

In October 2004, The Bank of Tokyo launched its “Super –IC

Card”. This card combines the functions of a bankcard, credit

card, electronic money and palm vein authentication. This Super –

IC Card contains the customers palm vein data and vein

authentication algorithms and performs vein authentication by

itself. This system is advantageous because the customer’s

information is not stored at the bank. When a customer applies for a Super –IC Card, the bank sends

the card to the customers home. To activate the palm vein authentication function, the

customer brings the card and is passbook and seal to the bank counter where the customers vein

information is registered on the card . After registration the customer can make transactions at

that branch counter and ATM using palm vein authentication and a matching PIN number

PERSONAL COMPUTERS:

In personal computers palm vein technology can applied by inserting the vein sensor inside

mouse. when power is supplied to system the mouse also

gets power and the sensor in the mouse will be ready to

sense palm veins. When one place his/her palm the sensor

sense the veins and if they are matched with the registered

ones the system allows the person to use it.

One can use this technology even to lock folders that

should be maintained as private information.

IN HOSPITALS AND LIBRARYS:

A public library in Japan is set to become the first in the world to use palm-vein biometrics

as a substitute for conventional library cards.


Fig: 5.1 ATM Sensors

Fig:5.4 Near Front Doors

http://64.202.120.86/upload/image/articles/2006/fujitsu-palm-vein-biometric-technology/palmvein3.jpg


The University of Tokyo hospital has taken delivery of a contactless palm vein

authentication system to secure physical access to its Department of Planning, Information and

Management.

Authentication:

In front of our homes we can apply this Palm vein technology so

that by registering the veins of our family members and relatives

we can maintain high range security which is not possible

through other technologies. Japanese recently used these

technologies before front doors and getting high range security.

Conclusion

Palm vein pattern authentication technology developed by Fujitsu was being used in a wide

range in japan . If this technology is introduced in our country we can solve many problems such as

password protection in ATM , security in various fields and if we implement this technology in

government offices we can make the employees to work according the government timings.surely

this technology will bring a revolution in the field of science and technology in the near future.


Fig:5.2 PC Sensor

Fig: 5.3 Using Sensor


REFERENCES

[1] “Palm Vein Authentication Technology” white paper, Bioguard, Innovative Biometric Solutions,March, 2007.[2] Yuhang Ding, Dayan Zhuang and Kejun Wang, “A Study of Hand Vein Recognition Method”, TheIEEE International Conference on Mechatronics & Automation Niagara Falls, Canada, July 2005.[3] Shi Zhao, Yiding Wang and Yunhong Wang, “Extracting Hand Vein Patterns from Low-QualityImages: A New Biometric Technique Using Low-Cost Devices”, Fourth International Conference onImage and Graphics, 2007.[4] Masaki Watanabe, Toshio Endoh,Morito Shiohara, and Shigeru Sasaki,” Palm vein authenticationtechnology and its applications”, The Biometric Consortium Conference, September 19-21,2005,USA, pp. 1-2. Mohamed Shahin, Ahmed Badawi, and Mohamed Kamel, ”Biometric Authentication Using FastCorrelation of Near Infrared Hand Vein Patterns”, International Journal of Biological and MedicalSciences, vol 2,No.1,winter 2007, pp. 141-148.


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