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Hand Veins

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Biometrics

  • 227 Accesses

Synonyms

Finger vein; Palm dorsal vein; Palm vein

Definition

In the human hand, there is a complex structure of veins and blood vessels, many of which are just a few millimeters below the skin surface. Using noninvasive and safe imaging techniques, it is possible to capture an image of the larger veins and blood vessels near the skin surface in various parts of the hand. These images are most readily obtained from the back of the hand and the palm of the hand. This vein structure, which is mostly invisible to the human eye, forms a pattern of interconnecting lines which is different from one individual to another and can be used as a physiological biometric. Two imaging methods can be used for safe, noninvasive imaging of veins near the skin surface: (1) far-infrared thermography and (2) near-infrared imaging. Far-infrared imaging detects heat radiated from the hand and veins. Near-infrared imaging detects infrared light reflected from a hand illuminated by near-infrared light.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Information and Communication Technology, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, Australia

    Graham Leedham

Authors
  1. Graham Leedham
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Biometrics and Security, Research & National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Stan Z. Li

  2. Departments of Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Anil K. Jain

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Leedham, G. (2015). Hand Veins. In: Li, S.Z., Jain, A.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Biometrics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7488-4_263

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