Amazon is quietly testing new scanners that can identify human hands for in-store purchases , the New York Post has reported . The company intends to roll out the checkout technology at its Whole Foods supermarket chain starting next year.
"While a normal card transaction typically takes three to four seconds, Amazon's new technology can process the charge in less than 300 milliseconds ," the outlet explains.
The system, dubbed “Orville” and intended only for Prime subscribers, is being tested by Amazon employees at its New York City offices, using it to buy soda, chips and cereal bars from vending machines.
is that your hand argentina phone number won't have to touch the scanner . Instead, the system leverages computer vision and depth geometry to process and identify the shape and size of each hand as it moves over the sensor.
An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the development of this system: “We don’t comment on rumors or speculation.” However, this is not the first time the company has tried to reinvent the wheel, as it frequently conducts such experiments .
Amazon's Go stores , established in 18 locations across the United States, already speed up the checkout process by swapping the human cashier for a phone app to register at a turnstile, as cameras and weight sensors in the store track items picked by customers from shelves.
Similarly, Microsoft has partnered with Kroger and Walmart on futuristic, high-tech grocery pilots intended to guide shoppers in finding items on their shopping lists , and offer personalized recommendations and ads based on their demographics and shopping habits.
But following US laws banning cashless stores (because they are seen as discriminating against low-income customers and those without bank accounts, cards or smartphones), Amazon said earlier this year that it would start accepting cash at its Go stores.
With this new technology, however, you wouldn't even have to carry your smartphone with you . And by seamlessly integrating payments into the shopping experience, the solution could encourage shoppers to spend more when they visit your retail stores.
On the other hand, it also seems to be another way for Amazon to obtain biometric data from millions of American consumers. And there is another consideration: when a data theft occurs, the card and passwords have to be changed, something that would not be easy with a fingerprint.