The „Bio-Pen“ system was developed and is produced by the DynaSig Corporation in Arizona. It is distributed by Secure Signature Systems in London. The exclusive license to sell and rights of further development/innovation for Germany are held by the company of HKS Sicherheitsservice GmbH.

The system captures the biometric identifiers of an individual’s signature, digitalizes them and stores the data – not to reconstruct the signature, but exclusively as an individual dataset. A forged signature is checked by means of a real-time data comparison and is thus immediately identifiable. The system is therefore suitable for checking a person’s identity locally and without delay.

Innovation of biometrics in security systems
The pre-eminent innovation this system provides, as opposed to other biometric methods (fingerprint, retinal scan), is the “normality” of the data gathering procedure, i.e. it is very user friendly. A request to give one’s signature has always been part of everyday business life.

A further advantage over all other security applications is the fact that the “Bio-Pen” works without requiring any cognitive processes. Already today, humanity is overburdened with PINs, TANs etc. and this tendency is likely to continue in the future. The Pen, produced in larger quantities, undercuts a cost level which even permits individual supply to a large number of customers.

Beyond this, the system can also be employed as an additional safeguard for restrictive regulation of access to sensitive areas outside business hours. Implementation of this system ensures that only authorized persons are granted access.

Internally, the system can be utilized for time tracking. This way, any deception can be excluded completely. The same applies to documentation in quality management.

In electronic correspondence, the system ensures that only authorized and appropriately registered persons have access to data in emails sent.

A summary of the possible applications:
- Identification of individuals
- Prevention of unauthorized access to security-sensitive areas
- Documentation of quality management in production
- Identification in payment transactions, in health care and other services
- Verifiable time tracking in business and industry
- Protection of classified information

Evaluation
According to local evaluations, confirmed repeatedly by expert circles, the “Bio-Pen” system offers considerable potential, both economically and in terms of security technology. The system is available, it has a good cost ratio, it can be upgraded, and it represents a future-oriented technology for the reasons outlined above.