Hand Scanner

From Wikitroid, the Metroid wiki

About to use a Pirate Hand Scanner.

Hand Scanners are devices that appeared only in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. They require the user to stand in front of the terminal and place their dominant hand on a-touch sensitive pad to initiate a palm scan. Hand Scanners are used to activate a variety of devices such as a Doors and Elevators. They are featured on the G.F.S. Olympus, G.F.S. Valhalla, Elysia and the Pirate Homeworld. There also one on Norion and also one Hand Scanner on Bryyo in the Federation Landing Site. Elsewhere on Bryyo they are replaced by other devices such as pumps and levers, but the Pirate devices recording the status of the shield generators in Bryyo Fire and Bryyo Thorn Jungle use Pirate hand scanners for activation and another Hand Scanner can be found behind Phazite plating in the Celestial Hall in Bryyo Fire. Samus's Gunship in Corruption also requires her to scan her hand to verify her identity before she can move it to other landing sites or planets.

[edit] Variations

Three models of Hand Scanner are seen in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. These are Galactic Federation, Chozo and Space Pirate. Each one functions exaclty the same, but have different designs. Hand Scanners work like a finger print scan to identify the person activating the device to check if they are authorized to permit the action. However, the Pirate Homeworld scanners require the user to have three fingers to be placed into an indent. Samus activates these variations by placing her entire hand on the device not necessarily on the three fingers and the device still activates. It is thought that Samus' Power Suit is able to hack the scanner.

Also, in the Phazon Mines in the first Metroid Prime, Samus can find imprints in the walls that look exactly like Corruption's Pirate Hand Scanners, possibly because Pirates have 3-fingered hands, so their hand scanners are configured as such, although why Pirate handprints should be on the walls is unknown. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes also features Pirate Hand Scanners in the Agon base. These can be activated using the Scan Visor instead.