Biometric solutions unveiled at Comdex

With the everincreasing need for security, many companies are turning to biometrics as a way to protect against the potential security breaches common with passwords, which can be easily stolen, lost or forgotten.

LAS VEGAS—With the ever-increasing need for security, many companies are turning to biometrics as a way to protect against the potential security breaches common with passwords, which can be easily stolen, lost or forgotten.

Biometrics use bodily characteristics such as fingerprints or a person's eye for identification.

But here at the annual Comdex show, LCI Technology Group N.V. offers a biometric solution with a twist.

The company's Smartpen device—a minicomputer that functions as a regular ball point pen—recognizes handwritten signatures. To solve the problem of forgery, special sensors in Smartpen measure how a person writes his or her signature, including the force applied to the paper, the acceleration of the pen and the angle at which it is held.

"This product is the missing link in the security loop," said Sam Asseer, chairman and chief executive officer of LCI Technology Group.

IriScan Inc. uses the iris, the colored portion of the eye, to identify individuals. Everyone's iris is unique, and a person's left and right irises are not even similar. IriScan's authentication system creates a mathematical code derived from the iris' unique patterns.

Unlike other companies use of biometric iris readers, the IriScan system is noninvasive. Nothing is aimed into the eye. Instead, the system snaps a black-and-white photograph of the eye. IriScan can scan an individual's iris even if the person is wearing glasses.