The hundreds of spectators that visited Sender One for SCS Open Nationals this weekend probably didn’t notice one the most high tech features of the gym: a biometric hand scanner. This palm-sized device was recently installed in the facility to aid member check-ins.
The hand scanner is a rapid form of identity verification that the customer never leaves home without. The model used by Sender One, the M2SYS PalmVein scanner, uses “near-infrared light to create a ‘vein map’ of the users palm to perform highly accurate and secure biometric recognition,” according to the manufacturer.
Just like a fingerprint, the vein map in a person’s palm is completely unique and provides highly accurate identity verification. It’s also nearly impossible to forge a vein map since the scanner is looking at something inside the body.
Sender One had been using a fingerprint scanner to check in members, but found that climbers were uniquely ill suited to this technology because of the high wear and tear they put on their digits. The palm scanner technology bypasses this issue by looking right through your skin.
The PalmVein scanner retails for about $500, and also requires a program to integrate with your existing member software, such as Rock Gym Pro. We expect to see more of these high tech solutions popping up in gyms that want to give members the VIP treatment during check-in.
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