Yesterday, Amazon announced a convenient way to pay for people who oft forget their wallets. Amazon One lets you pay with a wave of your hand using palm recognition technology.
By scanning your calm at the cash register, Amazon One provides another contactless payment option that’s free to use. The palm scanner is slowly rolling out in stores, but not widely available just yet.
As reported by CBS News, the palm recognition service is currently available in select stores in 20 states. Two hundred Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh stores have already rolled out this payment method and more than 500 Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh locations will have Amazon One by the end of 2023.
“We are always looking for new ways to delight our customers and improve the shopping experience. Since we’ve introduced Amazon One at Whole Foods Market stores over the past two years, we’ve seen that customers love the convenience it provides,” said Leandro Balbinot, Chief Technology Officer at Whole Foods Market.
How does this feature work? The palm scanner can identify you, and only you, as the account holder by picking up on distinct features lines and ridges on the surface and the vein patterns beneath your skin. No two palms are alike and they rarely change enough over time to confuse the scanner, so you won’t need to worry about getting locked out of your own account.
Amazon learns your unique handprint by using proprietary imaging and computer vision algorithms that capture and encrypt the precise features of your palm to create a handy digital signature.
When you’re ready to check out, you just need to hold your open palm over the Amazon One device. It’s similar to tapping your card to pay, only you don’t need to pull out your credit card or even touch anything.
“Paying with your palm via Amazon One is a pretty great experience, and customers have been “voting with their palms” for many months now. By end of year, you won’t need your wallet to pay when checking out at any of the 500+ U.S. Whole Foods,” said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in a tweet yesterday.
Although this tech sounds futuristic, it’s not of the dystopic variety. Scanners such as these as well as fingerprint lock screens detect the electrical currents in your skin, so there’s no chance someone could gain access to your accounts by pocketing your severed hand.