Appliance Design - September 2007 - (Page 18) NEWS WATCH PAY BY FINGER. Hitachi Ltd. is developing biometric technology that will let customers pay for purchases by scanning their finger. The system, developed in conjunction with the credit card maker JCB Co. Ltd., identifies the veins on a person's finger, which serves as a credit card or ATM card. Hitachi said it would launch an experiment in September involving 200 of its employees to see if it is com- mercially viable to introduce the system in shops, banks and other businesses. AHAM NAMES VP. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) has named Peter Hoekstra as its vice president, technical services. Hoekstra, who has more than 20 years of engineering and project management experience, will lead AHAM’s Technical Services Department. The department oversees the development of performance rating standards, administers AHAM’s product rating verification programs; provides technical support for regulatory advocacy issues; oversees cooperative research, and participates in the standards processes of other standards bodies. Immediately prior to joining AHAM, Hoekstra was senior director, engineering with Health-Mor Industries, a manufacturer of floor-care appliances. HEALTH SENSOR. Researchers at the University of Florida and IBM have developed technology for use in medical applications that creates a “roadmap” for widespread commercial development of smart sensor devices. The devices can take a person’s blood pressure, temperature or respiration rate the minute they step into a home. The data can then be transmitted to a doctor or family member. With IBM funding, Sumi Helal, professor of computer engineering and the project’s lead UF researcher, designed open-architecture software and hardware that can integrate different health care devices. Helal has devoted the past several years to developing smart devices for the elderly in a model home known as the “Gator Tech Smart Home” in Gainesville. Among other devices, they also created an instrument that records how many steps a person takes, information that can tell absent caregivers how active are the occupants. PUB PREDICAMENT. The British envi- ronmental group, Friends of the Earth, has called for a ban on patio heaters, accusing the devices of “planet wrecking.” The issue has arisen on the heels of a recently enacted UK smoking ban that has forced pub patrons to step outside when lighting up. Accommodating pub owners have responded by using gas-fired patio heaters to help keep their outdoor patrons warm. The resultant surge of patio heater use is also boosting their contribution to global For more Information Enter 107 18 applianceDESIGN AD09074Sur1.indd 1 September 2007 8/7/07 9:49:22 AM www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.sur-seal.com http://www.sur-seal.com http://www.appliancedesign.com
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