Biometrics

Let's face it – thieves know that high-end SUVs like the Bentley Bentayga are likely to contain stuff worth stealing. The automaker's Mulliner division obviously realizes that, because it's introducing an optional biometric secure stowage unit for the vehicle.

Biometric security is becoming an increasingly popular option for tech companies wanting to offer peace of mind to their users, because it's harder to spoof a fingerprint than steal a password. Now Fujitsu has unveiled the latest unlocking method for Windows 10: palm vein recognition.

Component maker Synaptics says its first in-display fingerprint sensor is now in mass production. And it's coming to a phone made by one of the top five manufacturers in the world sometime next year – which may mean we won't see every Android phone maker switch to a Face ID-style biometric system.

The bone structure of every person's dominant index finger is unique – so unique, in fact, that it can be used as a new form of biometric identification. Known as VibWrite, the technology was developed by a team from Rutgers University led by Prof. Yingying (Jennifer) Chen.

While our voices are increasingly being used for biometric identification, they're not an infallible form of ID. It was with this in mind that researchers at the University of Michigan created VAuth ("vee-auth"), which adds an extra level of security to the technology.

The launch of the iPhone X and its new facial unlocking technology has thrust biometric security back into the popular discourse. A team at the University of Buffalo has now developed a new biometric tool that analyzes the dimensions of your heart​ to unlock your phone or log in to your computer.

Biometrics are poised to play a larger role in airport security. Delta is onboard with this kind of thinking, so to speak, and from today is allowing some passengers to board flights using nothing but their fingers.

An upcoming tria could see passengers sail through the boarding process without needing to break out their passports, or their paper or digital boarding passes. JetBlue is to use facial recognition technology to validate passenger identities at the departure gate.

In an effort to apply energy-harvesting methods to power wearable devices, researchers have also created a new authentication method based on a person’s movements that may one day replace conventional security methods such as passwords or fingerprints.

​Citing convenience and security as its motivation, Mastercard has introduced a credit card with an integrated fingerprint scanner, meaning users can make purchases using the digits on their hands rather than those on their mind.

​On the Galaxy S8 and S8+, Samsung included not one, not two, but three biometric ways to unlock your phone: the fingerprint sensor, iris scanner and face recognition. Samsung touted the latter as a faster and more convenient alternative to iris scans. But it didn't mention how easy it was to trick.

​Britain's railway industry has moved to modernize its transport systems for the digital era, with a strategy that involves connected trains and more frictionless gate entry through a Bluetooth-connected smartphone, and possibly one day, eye and fingerprint scanning.