Scottish school gets biometrified, vein-scanner style

According to Digital World Tokyo, students at Todholm Primary School, in Paisley, Scotland are now getting a side of biometrics with their order each time they visit the cafeteria, thanks to some new palm vein-scanning payment systems recently installed in the school. This is not the first time we've seen biometrics employed in academia, but while other schools have used fingerprint and iris scanners, this implementation is based on the same Fujitsu palm reading technology currently used in Japanese banks. Because students deduct lunch orders from their accounts with the swipe of a hand, this method has the added advantage of obviating the need for meal tickets. While it's just on cafeteria duty for now, the system's developers foresee the device being used to control room access as well, keeping tabs on which classes students attend -- so while the kids reportedly dig the current scanner because it "makes them feel like James Bond," we suspect they'll be slightly less enthused when being tracked non-stop for eight hours a day.

[Brent @ Oct 27th 2006 7:08PM]

So every kid touches the same panel before he/she eats lunch? This sounds like a good way to spread disease, but maybe it's just me being a germaphobe.

[Chris @ Oct 27th 2006 7:32PM]

I just thought the same thing: germs galore! Unless it's coated with some kind of anti-germ resin, then I suspect it'd be a good idea. After all, these are children, not business men; their noses are oft-mined and they don't really think about washing their hands after.

[Dan Draper @ Oct 27th 2006 7:14PM]

Just another possible thing that could turn into the Mark of the Beast.

[DM @ Oct 27th 2006 8:57PM]

It's dumb. Why can't they just use fingerprint identification rather than the whole effin' hand!?

[Moe @ Oct 27th 2006 9:24PM]

Fingerprints can be faked. You can't fake a palm.

[rockintom99 @ Oct 28th 2006 10:33PM]

They can, but it is a heck of a lot of work to do that, and for something like a school lunch? I don't see it happening, other than to prove it can be done.

I agree that just a fingerprint scan would be the way to go, as it doesn't get the whole hand germy, and I imagine some people would be weirded out by the iris scanner.

[DM @ Oct 27th 2006 9:29PM]

Fingerprints plus unique code. That can't be faked son.

[Denis @ Oct 27th 2006 10:25PM]

Wait. You're going to *fake fingerprints* to eat in a *school cafeteria*?!

Please.

[Gadget Extremist @ Oct 28th 2006 1:53AM]

QUOTE:
"Fingerprints plus unique code. That can't be faked son."

Are you sure about that?
http://thatvideosite.com/video/3294
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/22/digital-fingerprint-door-lock-defeated-by-photocopied-print/

[Matias Korhonen @ Oct 28th 2006 4:13AM]

If you look closely at the included picture you'll see (or atleast I do, maybe I'm wrong) that you hover your hand above the scanner.

[DM @ Oct 28th 2006 4:32AM]

Gadget Extremist @ Oct 28th 2006 1:09AM

QUOTE:
"Fingerprints plus unique code. That can't be faked son."

Are you sure about that?

Of course I've seen that stuff before ( National Treasure ). But how are you gonna crack the unique code??? Are you a great guesser like Benjamin Gates? Plus, Denis made a great point earler, someone doing that inside a school cafeteria of all places is unlikely. Nice effort with the video link though. Those idiots did beat the fingerprint scanner, but never showed if they could beat the password digit code.

[Skinto McGinto @ Oct 28th 2006 4:38AM]

No way!

Ma home town gets a mention on Engadget! Not only that, the school whose playground I broke ma teeth in when I fell of an unsafe concrete tube!

Now all we need is for the local footbal team - the mighty Saint Mirren FC to get a mention for their new "technology filled" stadium an' I'd be havin' kittens!

Ol' Toddy school....

[AlisdairC @ Oct 28th 2006 6:36AM]

Leaving aside the 'minor' issue of civil liberties (oh, hell, just microchip the lot of them, why don't you, in preparation for their eternal subservience to the oh-so-wise and benevolent powers-that-be), this is a PRIMARY school, and very small kids. It'll be buggered up inside of a day or two, with mud, poster paint, plasticine,jam/jelly,bogies all over the scanner screen, the console, the walls nearby etc.

[aung @ Oct 28th 2006 9:39AM]

Biometrics is unique and secure but it can also insecure your privacy and personal information.

[Adam Rice @ Oct 28th 2006 10:43AM]

Actually, it shouldn't be germy, because you don't need to touch it. And it should be really hard to fake, because it isn't reading your palmprint, it is reading the pattern of veins inside your hand

[ady @ Oct 28th 2006 1:56PM]

Vein scanner is nothing new. We have one of these sort for an entry system at where I work and yeah, it is fool proof in a way since to fool it, one needs your actual hand (unless of course if borrow it in some way). You don't need to touch it since it does some sort of xray.