Palm Vein Scanning Helps Industries Adapt to COVID-19

It’s no secret that COVID-19 is undeniably changing the most fundamental aspects of how the U.S. operates as a society and the largest economy in the world.

A huge challenge that companies face as they reopen their long-shuttered doors, is the general public’s perception of personal health and safety.

In October of 2020, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) reported that 62% of Americans feel more anxious than they did last year. “When asked what made them extremely or somewhat anxious, Americans said the top issues were: keeping themselves and their family safe (80%), COVID-19 (75%), their health (73%). “

Ultimately, it will take new, innovative measures to cross the all-important threshold into the future of better safety, health, and security. Keyo believes that a piece of the solution is in sight: palm vein scanning.

What is palm vein scanning?

Palm vein scanning (or mapping) is a kind of biometric that uses near infrared light to map the unique vein pattern of your hand. The palm vein scanner then transforms over 500 million data points from your palm into a unique encrypted code, which becomes your biometric ID.

Key features of palm vein scanning:

• The most secure biometric modality
• Has built-in privacy to protect all users
• GDPR compliant
• Identifies people more accurately than facial recognition

The future of safety: hospitals

Imprivata, the leading digital ID company for healthcare, is the creator of PatientSecure, a biometric palm vein authentication solution that healthcare trusts for positive patient identification. In the face of the pandemic, Imprivata needed a contactless solution for their device and partnered with Keyo on a design that supports patient identification workflows HDOs have come to rely on while limiting the risk of transmission.

In response, Keyo rapidly created a new contactless identification solution, the Keyo Base, for patients and clinicians in hospitals across the nation. It’s the ideal COVID-19 solution because we combined our patent-pending, contactless palm vein biometric device with a proprietary copper alloy coating that directly attacks pathogens responsible for causing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

The future of safety: essential workers

During the pandemic, a major spotlight has been placed on the normally unseen backbone of commerce and society: essential workers. Inevitably, the lack of safe working conditions and worker protection are also receiving attention.

BBC interviewed experts across the nation for their opinions on how the world needs to transform to address the changing tides of COVID. They asked David Blustein, Professor of Counseling Psychology at Boston College, how essential workers can be better protected.

His response: “ At the core of this transformation is the need for systemic changes that will ensure accessible work that pays living wages, provides health care and offers humane conditions. To get to this goal, leaders and citizens will need to make fundamental changes in how organizations are regulated and how workers are protected.”

Palm vein biometrics plays an important role in protecting essential workers by replacing traditional payment methods, access control, and ticket entry with touchless interactions. The ability for customers to use contactless payment at a store or in restaurants eliminates the need for physical touch and significantly reduces the spread of viruses.

Touchless methods don’t stop at customer transactions either. With palm vein scanning, workers can safely input time and attendance without punching time cards or touching any computers. Using contactless access control means they’re not using door handles or high-touch surfaces to enter buildings.

By creating safer work conditions, palm vein biometrics saves essential workers from taking risks for simply doing their job.

The future of security: access control

Successful biometrics shouldn’t compromise privacy and security - a person’s right to own and keep their data from public access, and a person’s freedom to give or deny the consent for identification.

Keyo partnered with GNP Realty, a premier real estate company based in Chicago, on a pilot program for access control in doors, elevators, and turnstiles. After this successful pilot, GNP decided to deploy’s Keyo’s contactless access control in their 30-story high-rise building.

Using contactless entry helped maintain security and safety for GNP’s employees while ensuring that the process was easy.

The future of security: mitigating cybersecurity breaches

Cybersecurity is a constantly changing field, given that those on the attack are always looking for new ways to infiltrate networks, hardware, and mine for sensitive information and data.

Mohammad Murad, a journalist with Security Systems News, postulated a novel implementation for the frontier of cybersecurity: use biometrics as a way to eliminate fraud in government social services programs.

Given that unemployment has hit all-time highs in US history during COVID-19, the need for social services like unemployment aid and business loans have gone through the roof. To top it off, the Baby Boomer generation is retiring and getting Medicaid and Social Security benefits.

Unfortunately, instances of identity theft and fraud for those receiving aid have risen as well. Since it is critical for Americans to receive assistance now and beyond the pandemic, there have to be new ways to maintain security.

Using palm vein scanning to enroll in government assistance could protect U.S. citizens from identity fraud since palm vein patterns are just about impossible to replicate. It’d also optimize the government’s system of keeping accurate track of who has what kind of aid and speed up the process of granting assistance for those in dire need.

Successfully adapting with palm vein scanning

Using secure, accurate, contactless solutions across a wide range of touchpoints in today’s world has huge implications for businesses who choose to use palm vein biometrics.

Companies can re-earn the trust of the public by providing private, secure, and safe ways to move through the world. Industries can fully participate in the economic recovery of the U.S., and in a way that serves its citizens better than before.

Lastly, implementing palm vein technology helps companies revise their current business contingency planning, and for the future of whatever health-based crises come our way.