Amazon.com Inc. (Seattle) is rolling out more of its Amazon One biometric devices to its Amazon Go stores, allowing customers to pay for their purchases using their palm. The device is being added to eight total stores in Seattle, according to TechCrunch, including the Amazon Go grocery and convenience stores, Amazon Books and Amazon 4-Star stores.
The system uses computer vision technology to compile a palm print unique to each customer, which is then associated with the credit card customers use during initial setup. Images of palm prints are reportedly secured and encrypted in the cloud.
Amazon’s history with biometrics is somewhat controversial, according to TechCrunch. In the past, Amazon has sold biometric facial recognition services to U.S. law enforcement, for example.
In time, Amazon wants to make the technology available to other industries, including stadiums, non-Amazon retailers and office buildings.