Mini Application Information
Recognition Systems Hands San Francisco International Airport an AOA Solution
Access to the tarmac or air operations area (AOA) is a critical concern at the nation's airports. More than 170 of Recognition Systems patented biometric HandReaders are a critical element in San Francisco International Airport's overall security systems.
The Recognition Systems HandReader, which verifies a user's identity by reading the size and shape of a person's hand, is now in use at more than a dozen major U.S. airports, including New York's Kennedy International and principal airports serving Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Newark, New Jersey. HandReaders are also a key component of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service's INSPASS program. Frequent international travelers enrolled in the program use a self-service kiosk that includes a HandReader, thus avoiding long immigration lines.
The growing use of RSI HandReaders is indicative of the overall market for biometric access control technologies. Of note, the International Biometric Industry Association estimates that sales of biometric hardware will increase from $100 million in 2000 to $300 million in 2003.
At the new San Francisco Airport international terminal, many of the Recognition Systems HandReaders are hard-wired to a Locknetics electromagnetic door lock, another product from Ingersoll-Rand Corporations' Security & Safety Solutions Electronic Access Control Division. When used in tandem, the two devices begin operating when a person slides a magnetic stripe card, containing an ID number, through a card reader.
The person then places his or her hand in the HandReader, which analyzes some 90 separate measurements of the hand's length, width, thickness and surface area. The HandReader quickly compares this data with the hand "template" previously stored in the reader's memory. If the hand matches, entry to the restricted area is granted automatically. If no match is determined, the door remains locked. The hand verification process takes less than a second.
"Simple ID badges can be lost or stolen or given to friends," emphasizes Roger Case, technicians supervisor for San Francisco International Airport. "The HandReaders are reliable and enhance security. They do a good job."
NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are interested in covering San Francisco International Airport and would like to talk to their Director of Security, contact Tom Brigham at 818-716-9021 or tbrigham@brighamscully.com.