In the past week we reported about Hitachi's finger vein sensors being used in Japanese financial institutions. The matchbook-sized sensor reads vein patterns in the user's finger and Hitachi claims that they are more accurate than traditional biometric devices. Now, according to a press release, Hitachi will make the sensors available on a global basis.

The finger vein sensors work by shining infrared light through your fingertips. The infrared light illuminates veins which are then recorded with a CCD camera. Since no contact is necessary with the sensor, Hitachi thinks that companies will adopt the devices faster than fingerprint scanners.

In the press release,Hitachi hopes to see 100 billion yen in sales over the next three year from their finger vein sensors.

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Hitachi develops finger vein biometric device for mobile devices