Singapore could soon have more than one thousand biometric vending machines

Singaporean company Le Tach Pte. Is planning to expand the number of its vending machine that support payments with facial recognition from about 400 to all 1,000 deployed in the country, Thailand’s The Nation reports.

Competitor Octobox also plans to roll out its vending machines with biometric palm scanning for payments in Singapore beginning next month, and is targeting the deployment of 100 smart kiosks by next June.

Both systems work with pre-enrolled users, with Le Tach smart machines identifying customers and automatically applying payment when they smile in front of the camera, while Octobox’s identify customers and verify payment information before allowing customers to select products.

“Palm-print recognition technology can be deployed in many ways. As palm vein patterns are unique to every individual, a high level of accuracy and security is ensured,” Octobox Operations Director Ng Kiat Seng told The Nation. “Customers who want to participate in biometric payment just register for retail credit and their palm print will be taken. After registration, customers may access the kiosk door by scanning their palm print for identify verification. Once verified, the door will be unlocked automatically and once done, the door will close automatically. Payment will be auto-deducted once the door is closed and a bill summary (digital receipt) will be sent to the user’s registered email. It is easy to use.”

Octobox connects to the internet with Wi-Fi, tracks ad forecasts sales, and allows even fragile items such as eggs to be sold, and physically examined by customers beforehand. The company has partnered with DBS bank to provide machines to offices, national parks, condominiums, schools, hospitals, and industrial areas, before expanding to Taiwan and Malaysia.

EyeLock recently integrated its iris recognition technology into a vending machine solution, as retail biometric applications increase in popularity. Goode Intelligence forecasts that 2.6 billion people will use biometrics for payments by 2023.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  palm vein authentication  |  retail biometrics  |  Singapore  |  vending machine