Another patent from Apple puts palm biometrics on smart watches

Apple has been awarded a United States patent that would bring contactless palm biometrics for authentication to its Watch line. Apple already has what seems to be a very similar patent for other portable devices.

The patent calls for infrared light to be projected onto a palm held near a display screen to scan its veins. A visible-light dot projector would reflect a palm’s topography to a sensor, also beneath the display.

Both light sources would be beneath the display.

Patents for palm-scanning products for biometric authentication are not rare. In fact, this grant continues an Apple application (serial number 16/262,032) filed in January 2019.

A palm ID patent was awarded to Apple in 2020 for a palm scanner integrated into Watches, iPhones, iPads as well as Macs. The latest patent is Apple’s second for a prospective Palm ID biometrics feature, according to Patently Apple.

Article Topics

Apple  |  Apple Watch  |  biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  infrared  |  palm biometrics  |  patents