The Amazon Go chain of stores is equipped with machines capable of identifying customers by scanning the palm of their hand. — AFP Relaxnews
In addition to the voice, face, iris or fingerprint, the palm of the hand can also be used for biometric identification. Reliable and secure, palm print recognition is already being tried and tested in the US and China, currently in supermarkets, and soon at the office or in airports.
Palm print recognition technology is a major advance in biometric authentication. One of the pioneers in this field is Amazon, with its One technology, which enables users to identify themselves to access a venue or pay for groceries in-store, simply by passing the palm of their hand over a dedicated reader. In certain situations, the palm scan can replace the use of a bank card or digital wallet.
Amazon is now announcing its extension to the corporate world, the idea being to be able to access an office or hotel room by scanning the palm of the hand rather than by using a badge or key. This type of system could be extended to various public places, such as stations and airports, as well as schools.
According to Amazon, its solution is 99.9999% accurate, surpassing traditional authentication methods. Not only is this technology extremely reliable, but it is also more secure, promising data protection with encrypted data stored in an exclusive cloud. Ultimately, this contactless service is intended to be both faster and more intuitive than any other identity control system.
This technology started being tested in 2020 in an Amazon Go store in Seattle. Today, it is available in over 500 Amazon Go stores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and India. Also in the US, the JP Morgan bank is testing biometric-based payments, including palm recognition.
In China too, Tencent is starting to roll out its own palm recognition identification and payment solutions. So it might only be a matter of time before payment by palm print becomes an everyday reality. – AFP Relaxnews
