Palm recognition smart locks let you open your door with a wave of your hand.PhilipsAhead of CES 2025, Philips has announced that its upcoming 5000 Series Video Palm Recognition Smart Lock will feature integrated video monitoring, enabling users to see who is at the door without requiring a separate smart camera. The innovation has garnered the company a nod as an honouree in the Innovation Awards at the upcoming CES.The company already has a palm-recognition smart lock in the market, but combining this with a door camera makes a lot of sense, as it should mean quicker response time and easier management via a single app.Palm vein recognition is the current cutting-edge for smart door access, with sensors analyzing your hand in a similar way to fingerprint readers but with no need for physical contact. This means you can pretend to be a Jedi by opening your door just by holding up your hand, which is as good a reason to want one as I can imagine. Having no physical contact is also a boon in this post-pandemic world.As well as a palm vein recognition you can also open via PIN code, the smartphone app, your voice using Google Home or Amazon Alexa smart assistants and also something else called a key. To complete an already full package, the lock will also double up as a doorbell.While Philips is the brand, it is releasing the product under licensing from Idlespace Technology, which itself is the exclusive importer and distributor of Shenzhen Conex Intelligent Technology Co Ltd.MORE FOR YOUThe current model is priced at $360 but Philips has not announced pricing details for the new lock, which it says will only be available in the second half of 2025. One feature absent from the current version is Apple HomeKit so well have to wait and see if that will be added.On thing that also isn't revealed are if the door will require a wired power connection of if it will use batteries. Either way, with so much tech on board it seems like an ideal candidate for the Wi-Charge wireless power technology, as featured in this smart lock from Alfred, which would do away with the need for either wires or batteries. After all, if you're going to push the tech envelope you might as well go all the way. Maybe next year.