New ultra–slim finger scanner

Hitachi announced on Wednesday that it has finished work on a finger vein authentication device that works off biometrics and is only about 3mm thick, which is 1/7th of the size of all competing devices.

The company intends to go commercial with the device on mobiles and notebook computers in the coming two years.

In the past, biometric devices had a camera mechanism that was able to capture vein pictures with one lens, but the new device from Hitachi uses 15,000 resin lenses that measure about .1mm in diameter and feed the data from the image to a pixel in the sensor.

It also utilises new technology that adjusts the sensor’s sensitivity so that it can be used in outdoor environments that are brighter as well.

Hitachi expects to release the device for about US$106 which is the same price range as its larger counterparts.

The new device also has sensitivity to far red light, due to the development of a new resin eye in the sensor and the ability to reduce the thickness of the flat sensor.