According to the US Patent and Trademark Office, Amazon has filed an application for patenting the touchless scanning system technology. The application suggests that the new tech will identify people using characteristics associated with the palms of their hands.
The company has not rolled out any plans regarding the use of new technology. However, it is speculated that Amazon has been working on this technology to allow Whole Foods customers to scan their hand to pay at checkout rather than swiping a card. Besides, the firm is reported to be working on its implementation in Amazon Go stores.
In the patent application that was filed on Thursday, the team working behind the technology urged that it will be similar to a “scanner device” that will “obtain raw images of a user’s palm within a field of view of the scanner.” There will be multiple sets where the “first set of images depicts external characteristics, such as lines and creases in the user’s palm while the second set of images depicts internal anatomical structures, such as veins, bones, soft tissue, or other structures beneath the epidermis of the skin,” added the inventor.
Interestingly, in the last two years, Amazon has opened 24 Go stores locations across the US. Currently, visitors have to scan a special Amazon Go app while visiting the store. The high-tech stores utilize a combination of sensors and cameras that allow shoppers to purchase any item without any human intervention and exit without stopping to pay. The cost is automatically deducted from their linked accounts.