NEC to counteract crime with contactless fingerprint technology

The NEC HS100-10’s simultaneous acquisition of both fingerprint and finger vein information makes it particularly difficult for impostors to deceive the authentication system using it. The system’s contactless sensor is robust against the characteristics of fingers that are exceedingly dry or moist, resulting in exceptional accuracy, which is difficult for conventional contact-based fingerprint authentication devices.

Furthermore, the HS100-10’s USB interface allows users to connect with a PC in order to log on to its operating system or unlock its screensaver in both a stand-alone environment and an ActiveDirectory environment.

Lance Heather, Senior Product Specialist, NEC Australia, said: “As identity theft increases, the Australian Government, Federal Police, coroners and even banks are increasingly demanding more stringent management and control of personal authentication. NEC’s contactless fingerprint device uses ultrasound technology which bounces off the finger and provides images of the finger and the veins. No longer do emergency service workers or police units attending public events need to take a larger, more robust device. They can now take this laptop-sized technology on site where security is critical and ID required.”

The HS100-10 is also compatible with major access management software, including IBM’s Tivoli Access Manager for Enterprise Single Sign-On and Novell’s Novell SecureLogin. This combination of support for ID and access management with biometric data significantly reduces user concerns regarding the proliferation of user IDs and passwords.

NEC holds the leading position in a number of fingerprint and face recognition fields based on accuracy evaluations carried out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Moreover, NEC’s possession of the world’s highest level original recognition algorithm is supported by the company’s diverse range of customers who utilise NEC products. The HS100-10 was developed utilising these business-proven technologies and know-how.

Looking forward, NEC will provide the Hybrid Finger Authentication Development Library in order for the HS100-10 to be used with a broad range of business packages and user applications. Future development plans include a steady rollout of solutions linked with business applications such as an electronic medical records system.

Currently, there is an increasing demand for more stringent management of personal authentication and internal controls geared for business and government. Under these conditions, fingerprint authentication is a highly accurate and secure technique that is already used for a wide variety of purposes. When used in combination with NEC’s originally developed vein authentication advancements, these biometric authentication technologies are a formidable defence against identity theft.