Handreaders automatically take a three-dimensional reading of the size and shape of a hand and verify the user's identity in less than one second. They are not affected by dust, dirty hands, and minor injuries, which can cause false rejects with other biometric technology.
"The military used the Handreaders as a beta test in the theater for nine months and had excellent results," says David Slagel, President of Modular Security Systems Inc. (MSSI), the integrator (Ironton, Ohio). "They specifically requested the HandKey model because of its reliability, accuracy and durability. The HandKey unit is then placed inside our proprietary Modular Access Control (MAC) portal, which provides turnstiles and an access control infrastructure."
The resulting portable, turnkey access control portals are plug-and-play, fully integrated security systems planned for military bases throughout the world. To install a MAC portal, military personnel simply set it in place and plug it into 220-power in a junction box. Since the units are portable, the military can establish a "moving perimeter," widely used in base construction.
"When they finish with one site, they can simply pick up the portal and move it to the next site," Slagel emphasizes. "For the military, it represents zero construction process. They used to spend $80,000 to $100,000 rebuilding these 'brass shacks' each time the perimeter changed."
Using the portals is also easy. Military personnel enter the portal through one of five roll-up doors. They walk up to the entrance and present a proximity card and then their hand to the Handreader. If the light turns green, they are allowed entrance through the turnstiles. If the light is red, an alarm is sounded that alerts a guard, who then investigates.
The MAC portals, featuring the HandKey units, eliminate concerns about the identity of the cardholder or "tailgating," in which someone simply follows the next person through an access point without proving their identity.
"The proximity card in combination with the biometric identifier virtually eliminates both of these security-compromising practices and establishes a higher level of security," Slagel notes.
New personnel are quickly registered at the MAC itself and the MACs can communicate with each other. There is typically a central MAC and the portals can be linked via a LAN or WAN.
Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies was named recipient of the 2004 Application Market Penetration Leadership Award for access control and time and attendance applications in Frost & Sullivan's study, World Biometrics Market.