Apparently, proxy test taking is a big enough problem that the nation's top business schools will soon require that students undergo a palm vein scan before taking their GMATs. Like a fingerprint, the system of veins running through the hand is unique to every individual, and supporters claim that using vein scanning is not only superior to the current digital fingerprint method, but it also does not come with the same stigma.

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A series of Motorola patents recently made public reveal that the company has given some thought to incorporating biometric monitors into Bluetooth headsets and adding touch sensitive controls to the ROKR S9. Actually, there are two different versions of the biometric Bluetooth headset, both of which utilise a watch-like device to measure heart rate, temperature and other vital signs then transmit them to a mobile phone and on to a distant server.

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A new biometric face scanner from the Japanese company Sagawa Advance has taken the technology to the next level, able to differentiate between identical twins with no problems at all. It does this by using an infrared scanner to analyse a whopping 40,000 data points on your face.

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A group of hackers has captured the fingerprints of the German Interior Minister as a protest against plans to use biometric data in e-passports. The latest edition of their magazine, Die Datenschleuder, contains a plastic foil that reproduces the whorls and swirls of Wolfgang Schauble's digit, meaning there are 4,000 copies of the politician's prints just waiting to be attached to someone's finger. More below.

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Over 100,000 construction workers on the 2012 Olympics venue in London will be subjected to biometric tests while they build the site. The two-tier system will scan hands and faces, and should be up and running by June this year, when work starts on the 50-acre site. And these measures, part of the $700 million security budget, will not just be for the building contractors, either.

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Japanese company Fukui has unveiled 12 gym machines with finger-vein readers, which adjust the settings of the fitness equipment automatically for regular users. Costing around US$17,000 each, the gear can be hooked up to a remote server to update gym bunnies' stats—calorie consumption and current exercise regime—with the info then displayed on a touchscreen. Go for the burn, fingers. [Pink Tentacle]

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In an effort to curb unhealthy eating habits, one Catholic school in Utah has implemented a biometric finger scanning system that is used to track what kids are eating during lunch. Parents are then given the information in hopes that they will use it to help children make better choices.

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The FBI is planning to spend $US1 billion on the world's largest biometric database. The database will be used to create a big brother state, in which you will ultimately have little autonomy assist the FBI's efforts in catching the bad guys. Apparently, compilation of digital images, including mug shots, fingerprints and palm patterns have already begun.

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Remember when we were all told how great fingerprint authentication was? And then as it went it actual use, it suddenly turned out to be much easier to fake (or fail) than first thought? Aaaah, those naive days of yore...

Now Hitachi is kicking off a full release of their contact-less finger vein authentication device and SDK right around the world. Apparently finger vein pattern is "impossible to counterfeit because the vein is inside the body". Even iris-scan biometric data can, apparently, be acquired without the knowledge of the individual. Surely in future this idea of "knowing consent" could be defeated by chopping off the finger and setting up some funky bloody pumping system to keep it 'alive' for the biometric check? Y'know, like in the movies!

How does it work?

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Oki Japan has developed software that brings iris recognition security to existing cell phones. Before now, biometric security has meant either hugely expensive military systems or cheap, novelty peripherals. This new development is part of a growing number of practical and affordable solutions. The software can be used to add another layer of security on any device that has a camera of at least 1 mega pixel and is claimed to only give one false positive for every 100,000 scans. [Digital World Tokyo]