October 2015: The End of the Swipe-and-Sign Credit Card

October 2015: The End of the Swipe-and-Sign Credit Card.

-- Tom

 

-
Of course, there is now a biometric payment system

Vein Scan Payment System Launched

We live in a world where the security of our finances is just as important of a concern as the security of our homes.

Identity theft, fraudulent payments, and accidental misuse of funds are all realities in our fast paced economy.

In recent years however, technology has played a huge role in securing financial assets. PINs and security codes have been the status quo for basic financial security, but two friends in New Jersey are taking that concept a step further by using vein scans to confirm a person's identity to secure financial transactions.

It’s called Pulse Wallet and it is a point-of-sale register and biometric payment terminal. PulseWallet lets customers link their credit cards and other payment methods to their palms so they can leave their wallets at home.


-

 

I can't see vein scans as being reliable. A fast or slow pulse at some moment in time would alter a pulse rate for a particular person. A person wearing a pacemaker would drive the system crazy.

 

I recall reading that the distribution/pattern of blood vessels is unique enough to be very useful for biometrics. The pattern is affected by the general size/shape of the body part, and perhaps there is also some variance WRT where they actually grow within each person's body.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/opinion/sunday/a-better-credit-card.html