[bradleysmith]

I've heard from someone close to the project that it's an IR image of palm vein structure, which is a reliable biometric ID. a quick google search confirmed[0]: “We actually do palm vein scanning, which we think is far more secure, private and accurate than fingerprint. The palm vein scan is actually an infrared image of the customer’s palm vein patter—the second most unique form of biometric authentication. This biometric data is stored by our partner, Fujitsu,” [Jordan] Kelley said.

I agree, I know several btc enthusiasts in Austin that won't use the thing b/c biometrics.

may not be original source [0]-http://computer-medics.biz/robocoin-rolling-out-first-bitcoi...