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BIOMETRICS

The online retail giant hopes to implement hand-scanning tech in its stores nationwide.

Online retail giant Amazon is testing a biometric payment system for use in Whole Foods stores across the country, The New York Post reports.

The system, referred to internally as “Orville,” will allow Amazon Prime account holders to pay for groceries simply by having their hands scanned.

Orville is currently being tested at Amazon’s New York offices where numerous vending machines have been outfitted with the technology.

The biometrics system relies on “computer vision and depth geometry to process and identify the shape and size of each hand,” The Post notes. “It’s accurate to within one ten-thousandth of 1 percent, but Amazon engineers are scrambling to improve it to a millionth of 1 percent ahead of its launch,” a source claimed.

If the testing phase proves successful, the hand scanners could appear at select Whole Foods’ locations in the next few months before eventually making their way to all stores.

As far as whether Americans will be comfortable with such a system, independent technology ethics researcher Stephanie Hare speculates that the company likely ruled out face-scanning over privacy concerns.

“I think they probably made a judgment call that Americans are probably not going to want to pay with their face, but they’ll be fine to pay with their fingerprint or their hand,” Hare said. “That feels less like a mug shot.”

Hare warned though that Americans should be hesitant to give their unique biometric data away in the age of data leaks.

“Why would you give them that data? People don’t understand the risk, and they’re oversold the benefits,” Hare added. “We have a couple of nation states that are really good at stealing data right now.”

The new system is designed mostly to save consumers time. Whereas a credit card transaction takes on average between three and four seconds, sources allege that the hand-scanning system will take less than 300 milliseconds to charge a user’s account.

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WOSAS A SAFETY AND SECURITY EXPO SEPTEMBER 26-29 2019

by Activ8 on September 5, 2019

World of Safety and Security Expo (WOSAS) is a platform to showcase the latest variety of products and services that plays a crucial role in commercial or public safety and security. Find intelligent solutions to your safety and security needs in one place.

Aiming to be a sustainable launch pad for the latest technologies from local innovators, World of Consumer Electronics Expo (WOCEE) and the World of Safety and Security Expo (WOSAS) are back to invite everyone to “Experience the Future.”

Worldbex Services International, the country’s leading events and expositions organizer, assumes an instrumental role in empowering the Philippine tech and security industries by showcasing 250 exhibitors who will be bringing in a wide array of cutting-edge products in the field of consumer technology.

The future of tech awaits at WOCEE In a 2018 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the Philippines has climbed to the 55th spot out of 82 countries in terms of preparedness for technological change—making it the 4th most tech-ready economy in Southeast Asia.

On the other hand, the recent strides of the government to improve upon the state of national security has likewise earned recognition for the large-scale advancements that it entails for the industry and society at large.

Proving to be a diverse platform for innovation, the product profile of this year’s show includes Wireless Devices and Wearables, Video, Photography, Digital Imaging, Audio, Educational Innovations, Sports Technology and Gaming, Smart Home, Robotics, Automotive Electronics, Fitness, Health and Wellness, as well as Computer Hardware and Software.

Apart from an extensive display of tech innovations, not to be missed at WOCEE 2019 are its event highlights such as live product demonstrations, the MRSP (Mechatronics and Robotics Society of the Philippines) Robotics Competition, which is presented in cooperation with Hytech Power Inc., the WOCEE Business Park, Tech Talk, and the Circuit innovation exhibit.