Name: Amazon wants to patent technology that could identify shoppers by their hands
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Amazon wants to patent technology that could identify shoppers by their hands

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The system could someday be used in Amazon Go or Whole Foods stores.Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing — and changing us.Today, visitors to need to scan an app to get in. In the future, Amazon may instead ask to just scan their hands instead.The US Patent and Trademark Office published that would identify people not by their faces but by characteristics associated with the palms of their hands, including wrinkles and veins.The application filing does not mean the company is definitely developing such technology, but the New York Post reported in September that Amazon was testing technology that would allow rather than swiping a card. If the tech does make it to the real world, it seems the company might be considering using it in its Amazon Go stores: Many of the inventors listed on the application are employees working on Amazon Go, including Dilip Kumar, who has been the head of technology for Amazon Go and is vice president for Amazon’s physical retail initiatives.The filing is a glimpse at Amazon’s ideas for putting its own tech-forward spin on how people shop in brick-and-mortar stores, now that it dominates many types of online shopping in the US. But a new potential method for identifying people using biometrics will also likely raise questions for a company that is already facing increased scrutiny over privacy concerns related to its products, ranging to its .An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.In the patent application published on Thursday, the inventors describe “a scanner device [that] is used to obtain raw images of a user’s palm that is within a field of view of the scanner. ... The first set of images depict external characteristics, such as lines and creases in the user’s palm while the second set of images depict internal anatomical structures, such as veins, bones, soft tissue, or other structures beneath the epidermis of the skin.”The inventors also describe the placement of scanners at entrances or exits of a given location, and associating a scan with a person’s account so that “if the user picks an item from an inventory location and leaves the facility, their account may be billed for that item.”Amazon has opened 24 Amazon Go locations in the US since debuting the nearly two years ago. Visitors to the stores must scan a special Amazon Go app at a turnstile before entering. The stores then rely on a combination of sensors and cameras that allow shoppers to take food or beverages off of shelves and simply exit without stopping to pay. Their linked account is automatically billed after they leave.An illustration associated with the patent application shows a person scanning their hand at an entrance gate that resembles the one in Amazon Go stores.Millions turn to Vox to understand what’s happening in the news. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all.

The system could someday be used in Amazon Go or Whole Foods stores.Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing — and changing us.Today, visitors to need to scan an app to get in. In the future, Amazon may instead ask to just scan their hands instead.The US Patent and Trademark Office published that would identify people not by their faces but by characteristics associated with the palms of their hands, including wrinkles and veins.The application filing does not mean the company is definitely developing such technology, but the New York Post reported in September that...

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I cover Amazon, Walmart & the future of commerce. My book Winner Sells All is out June 27. jason.delrey@gmail.com/jasondelrey@protonmail.com. Signal 9176554267

Jason Del Rey

Vox is a liberal-leaning American news and opinion website owned by Vox Media. The website was founded in April 2014 by Ezra Klein, Matt Yglesias, and Melissa Bell, and is noted for its concept of explanatory journalism. Vox's media presence also includes a YouTube channel, several podcasts, and a show presented on Netflix.

Amazon wants to patent technology that could identify shoppers by their hands

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