Veins go into condos

's contactless palm vein authentication technology is to be installed at the front entrance of a new condominium complex currently under construction in the southwest region of metropolitan Tokyo.

The front main entrance of Meiwa Estate's Clio Shonan-Chigasaki complex will use an auto-lock system that uses the new authentication technology.

By punching their room number into a keypad and then suspending their hand above the device, residents' palm vein patterns will be read and compared to the resident's pre-registered pattern. If the pattern that is read matches the pre-registered palm vein pattern, the resident's identity will be verified and the entrance door will open.

The company says that since veins in the palm are inside the body, they are difficult to 'forge'. And, compared to veins in fingers or the back of the hand, the patterns are more complex and stable, offering a high verification accuracy with a false acceptance rate of less than 0.00008% and a false rejection rate of 0.01%.

Fujitsu's contactless palm vein technology has already been adopted for use in financial institutions, hospitals, and universities in Japan but this is the first time it has been used in a residential setting in Tokyo.

Meiwa Estate, the developer, says that it plans to incorporate Fujitsu's authentication technology as a standard feature for other condominiums in their "Clio La Mode" urban-style condominium series.