In a possible first for Japan, the city of Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, will start an experiment to register the vein data of elderly residents with dementia so they can be instantly identified if they wander off and are found without an ID.
The project, to start in April, will use a vein authentication system developed by software firm Climb Co., based in the neighboring city of Takasaki, Maebashi Mayor Ryu Yamamoto announced at a news conference on Wednesday.
The city currently offers GPS tracking devices for about 30 residents. But such devices — which can be attached to shoes or canes — are of no use when left behind, Yamamoto said.
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