Fujitsu palm vein authentication technology tracking tourists to Great Barrier Reef

A prototype of the Tourist Onboard Management System (TOMS), featuring palm vein authentication technology from Fujitsu, was recently tested as a method of making sure visitors to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are not left behind by boats, the ABC reports.

Fujitsu Vice President Brad Freeman said TOMS is the first application of palm vein identification technology in the tourism sector. Vecna Technologies recently integrated palm vein scanning technology from Imprivata to identify hospital and ambulatory care patients.

TOMS International Director Tony Raftis said the company will also trial facial recognition technology and a technology similar to Bluetooth to track tourists while on board boats. The palm vein scanning TOMS prototype will continue to be trialed over the next few months, and Raftis said he hopes to have it operating commercially within the next 12 months, though he acknowledges the work is in its early stages. Passengers on commercial tour vessels would register their palm vein images, which would be stored on a secure server, at the terminal prior to departure, and then scan their palms when they get on and off of the boat.

Fujitsu partnered with Microsoft earlier this year to offer palm vein authentication with Windows Hello.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Fujitsu  |  palm vein authentication  |  safety  |  travel biometrics