Hitachi Introduces Vein-Pattern Vending

Hitachi Ltd. has introduced a vending machine that lets consumers pay through verification of the vein patterns in their fingers.

Consumers place a finger onto a scanner on the machine but must have registered their payment card details to use the service. Biometric payment systems that identify consumers by fingerprints have been used in the United States, but vein-pattern systems primarily are found in Japan, including at ATMs, where the technology lets the country's consumers avoid touching screens.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
MORE FROM AMERICAN BANKER