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Drivers Could Soon Unlock Car Doors by Having Their Veins Scanned

Biometric authentication is gaining traction, and after conquering the PC and mobile world, it’s now expanding in the automotive industry too. BYD is the latest company that seems to be investing massively on this front, as the Chinese firm is developing a vein scanning system for its vehicles.
New way to unlock the doors coming 15 photos
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
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A recent patent describes a technology that would allow vehicle owners to unlock the doors by having their veins scanned.

Despite sounding like rocket science, the implementation uses a simple design that includes three different components.

The first one, and also the most important, is an infrared module. Its role is to scan the hand and generate a vein rendering that is eventually submitted to a central processing unit. BYD’s system uses infrared light because it allows rapid scanning under the skin when the driver touches the door handle.

The second component is the vein recognition module. It uses information collected by the infrared sensor to generate a vein rendering and, therefore, create a map that is then sent to the processing unit. The third one is a power module that ensures the first two components work properly regardless of conditions.

BYD says its system would essentially generate a vein map every time a human being touches the door handle with the hand. As such, the system can be configured to only allow access to certain persons based on their vein maps. When the system receives a new scanning, it compares the data to the maps already stored in vehicle memory.

If there’s a match, the car can unlock the doors. If there isn’t, the system can generate a sound that informs the user the scanning was unsuccessful.

Whether or not BYD would eventually use the system on its production models is something that remains to be seen. But biometric authentication is rapidly making its way to smart technology, so expanding to cars is probably just a matter of time.

In the phone world, biometric authentication is already a common feature thanks to systems like Apple’s Face ID and fingerprint sensors embedded into devices. Facial recognition systems use a similar approach, as they compare a new scanning to an existing map stored in a secure environment.

Vehicle manufacturers are investing aggressively in new technology, especially as giants like Apple and Xiaomi also plan their expansion in the automotive world. Their cars are expected to focus heavily on tech innovations, as their know-how could help improve the driving experience. Given biometric authentication is already very common on smartphones, Apple and Xiaomi are likely to bring similar features to their cars once they become available. The Apple Car is projected to hit the streets in 2025, at the earliest, while Xiaomi plans to launch its first EV next year.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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