Researchers at Australia's University of New South Wales think that they may have discovered the future of biometrics - replacing fingerprints, iris scans and voice recognition.
Instead of traditional biometrics the researchers said people could be more accurately identified using the unique vein patterns on the backs of their hands.
Biometric recognition has become part of everyday life - from using electronic devices to paying for goods. The researchers said existing biometric technologies had "weaknesses" and there was room for improvement.
They said that fingerprints can be replicated from surfaces someone has touched. Facial recognition systems can be fooled using images taken from social media while iris scans can be bypassed using contact lenses.
Syed Sha, a researcher at the university's computer science and engineering department, said vein patterns were more reliable because they don't leave imprints and can't be replicated easily.
"Vein patterns lie underneath the skin, thus do not leave any imprint, unlike fingerprints; are not available over social media, unlike facial photographs and can't be obtained surreptitiously, unlike irises," Shah said.
The university is experimenting with a scanner that uses an off-the-shelf depth camera.
Researchers then used artificial intelligence software to extract "discriminating features" from the images. They said they could identify an individual from a group of 35 participants with more than 99% accuracy.
The team at the university published its study in the journal IET Biometrics.
