34AEJ7D@CMUVM.BITNET (Bill Gorman) (01/15/90)
Index Number: 6235
Attached is an article received from another list describing
another idea being hooted from the housetops by some thick-skulled TAB
who summarily presumes that the disABLED, particularly those missing
a hand or two, would never use something like an ATM machine, etc.
G-G-G-G-R-R-R-R-R-R-R !!!
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Date: Mon, 11 Dec 89 11:36:00 EST
From: "Matt J. Magri" <Magri@dockmaster.ncsc.mil>
Subject: Vein glory
This is from the "Snapshots" column of the January 1990 issue of
_Popular_Photography_ (reprinted without permission):
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ID PHOTOS IN A NEW VEIN
You probably carry one or more ID cards with a photograph of your face,
assuring a doubter that you are really you. If a newly developed
technology is brought to market, that portrait could be supplanted by a
photograph of --get this-- the veins on the back of your hand. Well,
that's not exactly right. Although an electronic camera would
photograph your hand (using infrared radiation, which makes the veins
visible), it will convert that pattern into digital information and
store it on a magnetic stripe on an ID card. Then when you go to
withdraw money from an automatic teller or charge your dinner to a
credit card, you'll place your hand under a scanner. If the treelike
pattern looks right, you'll get your money or your dinner,
The Veincheck technology was invented by Joe Rice, an engineer at
Kodak, Ltd., in Nottingham, England. Kodak has found that the
vein-pattern check is highly accurate and requires a minimal storage
space.
The system could replace PINs and passwords in access control and
transaction validation. The British Technology Group in London will
market it.
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Although there are some negative aspects to this scheme (What if your
hand was injured/bandaged? What if you didn't HAVE a hand?), I guess
I'm more curious about the positive aspects. How unique is your vein
pattern? How constant is it? How effective is an infrared scanner at
reading your vein pattern? Information, please.