Samsung Patent Hints at Smartwatch That Scans Veins to Verify Identity

Until now, we have seen several ways tech companies have made their smart devices capable of recognising users, from face recognition, fingerprint sensors, voice recognition, and even iris scanners. Now a newly published patent suggests Samsung to go even deeper inside a human body for recognition. The patent hints towards a future smartwatch that could use our veins for identity verification.

In the patent published by the USPTO titled "Wearable Device and Method of Operating the Same", the company describes a method to identify users that takes a scan of the registered user's vein layout, and then compares it to the layout of the person trying to authenticate themselves in the future.

"A wearable device comprising: a sensor configured to capture a vein image of a user; and a processor configured to: in response to a function or an application being selected by the user, control the sensor to capture the vein image of the user wearing the wearable device; identify the user by comparing the captured vein image with at least one registered vein image; and in response to determining that the identified user has an execution authority for the selected function or application, execute the function or the application," says the patent, which was filed in July last year.

As with all patents, it is not necessary that the company granted the patent will use the technology in an actual production device. So, while we may never see Samsung bring the vein scanning functionality to future smartwatches, we at least know the technologies the company is exploring.

In December, a patent published by the USPTO hinted that the company might be working on a smart ring under its wearables segment. The patent describes how the ring will work and what functions it might carry.