Philips is bringing 'touchless' palm recognition smart lock to US market

The Series 5000 Philips Wi Fi Palm Recognition Smart Deadbolt scans individual palms to provide added security compared to a keypad. As kicks off this week in Las Vegas, attendees can expect to see captivating tech as far as the eye can see. One of these devices is Philips' Series 5000 Wi Fi Palm Recognition Smart Deadbolt, which is the company called the first consumer smart lock to feature palm recognition technology from a major tech vendor in the US market.

Philips already offers several smart deadbolts that feature fingerprint technology, as do other smart home device manufacturers, like Eufy and Aqara. However, palm recognition technology, unlike fingerprint scanning, scans the individual vein pattern in a person's palm. Also unlike fingerprint scanning, the palm recognition feature is touchless, as individuals can unlock their 5000 Series by simply holding their palm a few inches in front of the lock's scanner.

The Philips 5000 Series Palm Recognition Smart Deadbolt uses light technology to scan users' palms for unlocking, but it also features other unlock options, like entering a code or a physical key on the keypad or using the Philips Home Access app. Another attractive feature of the Series 5000 is its proximity sensors on the indoor mechanism that detect when a person is approaching the doorknob to unlock itself.

This means the deadbolt would automatically unlock when you approach the door handle to leave your home. Using Wi Fi for connectivity means that users don't have to buy a separate hub to use the smart capabilities, and it's also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Users can add up to 50 different Palm ID options, up to 100 user PIN codes, and unlimited one time PIN codes if they need to give a guest or a dogwalker access.

For the sake of versatility, the 5000 Series Philips smart deadbolt also comes with a doorbell button and a separate doorbell chime that users can keep plugged in inside their homes. The doorbell button automatically lights up when a person approaches it, but the lock doesn't have a camera to see who's at the door.

Philips is launching the 5000 Series lock at CES 2024, but a specific release date hasn't been announced. The Series 5000 smart lock joins a lineup of Philips smart home devices, including the 4000 Series smart locks, 3000 Series Retrofit Lock, 1000 Series electronic deadbolts, and the 7000 Series 2K Dual Cam video doorbell..