Pic shows: This ATM machine can scan a person’s face to make sure the card has not been stolen.
Chinese boffins claim they have developed an ATM machine that can scan a person’s face to make sure the card has not been stolen.
The device, which is the world’s first cash machine capable of recognising whether the card user is also the card owner, is now ready for use and is about to go into production, they say.
The researchers at Beijings renowned Tsinghua University are working with Tzekwan Technology to produce the new ATMs, which will not only ensure speed and accuracy with the new software, but also deter criminals from stealing bank cards.
Chairman Gu Zikun of Tzekwan Technology, based in Hangzhou, capital of east Chinas Zhejiang Province, says the breakthrough technology is the best way to cut down ATM-related crimes, and the company hopes to introduce the machines to the international market in the future.
Chairman Gu said the machines have already received official certification and will soon be available on the Chinese market.
Besides the stringent security measures, Gu says the ATMs will also allow users to exchange between 250 currencies.
The increasing use of facial recognition technology is causing many concerns for example on how it might be implemented. Although for example police could use video footage to look for criminals, it could also be used for example to identify political protesters at a rally.
At the moment many ATM machines are imported, but locals worry that the face recognition technology if being used on home-made machines could end up with data being passed onto the government which not everybody would want.
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