Amazon expands pay-by-palm service in US grocery stores

Amazon expands pay-by-palm service in US grocery stores

The Amazon One program being extended to Whole Foods supermarkets across the US will allow for payment via palm scan
The Amazon One program being extended to Whole Foods supermarkets across the US will allow for payment via palm scan. Photo: JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP/File
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Have you recorded a funny video or filmed the moment of fame, cool dance, or something bizarre? Inbox your personal video on our Facebook page!

Customers shopping at Amazon's US-based Whole Foods grocery stores will be able to pay for items by hovering their palm over a scanner, much like shoppers already do with smartphones or credit cards.

The Seattle-based online giant will extend a service that was already available in 200 of the chain's 500-plus outlets, acquired in 2017, according to a press release issued Thursday.

The Amazon One program is also available to third-party companies, and in March it entered into a partnership with the American fast-food chain Panera Bread, which has begun installing terminals in some of its branches.

The service can also be found in several entertainment venues and airport shops, and is also being tested in some Starbucks cafes.

Read also

Goldman Sachs reports 62% drop in Q2 profits on low merger activity

To satisfy clients for whom the collection of personal data is a sensitive issue, Amazon said any palm images recorded by the machines will be stored in a highly secure server on the company's AWS cloud service.

Usage depends not only on the image of the palm, but also maps of the vascular network.

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ click on “Recommended for you” and enjoy!

As a result, a user's palm signature cannot be duplicated and the system will know the difference between a real palm and a copy, the company said.

Amazon said it has tested more than 1,000 silicone and 3D-printed palm copies to ensure the terminal cannot confuse a replica with the original.

The use of palm recognition is growing, with the Airport Express Line in Beijing now accessible using WeChat's technology.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.