Hitachi points to vein recognition

Hitachi in Japan has unveiled its new Lora SE210 security laptop computer featuring a biometric security device that uses vein recognition.

The security device is placed below the keyboard and uses infra red light to scan a finger's tissue for vein patterns.

The laptop is the first mobile computer using the technology and targets users handling sensitive or secure information. It is designed to be used as a networked client. It has no hard drive but uses flash memory to store the Windows XP embedded operating system.

Biometric security devices including vein recognition, fingerprint readers and iris scanners use unique body features for authentication.

While vein recognition is a less common form of biometric security, the technology's backers claim that it is easy to perform a vein scan and that it is very hard to damage or change the pattern. The technology also offers an advantage over fingerprint scanners because identical twins have highly similar (although not identical) fingerprints but different vein patterns.

Vein scanning technology is already used in Japan on ATM machines and USB vein scanners are now available on the market. Hitachi last month also showed off vein recognition in a door handle that would enable the owner to open his car without a key.

The Lora SE210 features a 600MHz Intel Celeron processor and 256Mb of memory. It will start selling in Japan on 1 December for 185,000 yen without tax ($1,550 or £900). A model without the security device is available for 160,000 yen.