Amazon’s new technology allows customers to pay by waving
Amazon is developing a payment system which works by simply waving your hand, eliminating the need for cash, a smartphone or a credit card when shopping
The system, called Orville, uses computer vision to detect movement. The biometric data of a customer would be linked to their credit or debit card, which is then recognised by a camera with an accuracy of 1/10000th of one per cent.
Their state of the art cameras use biometrics, such as the shape and size of the user’s hands, to determine their identity. The payment is then made using a simple gesture.
The trillion-dollar company have already begun testing this new payment method by installing it in vending machines at their New York office, as they gear up to launch in Whole Foods stores across America this year.
They aim to completely eliminate the need for checkouts, queues and human staff.
The online retailer is no stranger to innovative retail experiences, having opened tech-enabled Amazon Go stores in seventeen locations across Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and New York.
In these stores, the customer enters through a turnstile using a unique QR code on their Amazon Go app. The app will then charge the user for the goods they leave the store with. An array of sensors and cameras keep track of the items a customer puts in their basket, also monitoring stock inventory and purchasing habits.
Introducing the hand gesture payments to their existing Go stores would eliminate the need for a customer to bring any form of payment or device with them.
