Aeon Financial Services is teaming up with Fujitsu to trial a biometric system that lets Japanese shoppers pay for their groceries with their hands.
Aeon's credit card unit is tapping Fujitsu's palm vein biometric authentication technology for the pilot, which will involve Aeon staffers and begin in September at a number of Ministop convenience stores.
Customers who register for the service will add their palm vein pattern to their Aeon card information. Then, at the checkout they will enter their birthdate before holding their palm over a special reader.
Aeon says that it picked Fujitsu's technology for its biometric test because palm vein authentication is both very accurate and, because it is contactless, sanitary.
The technology has been used at bank ATMs in Japan for more than a decade and has also been tapped for corporate PC access and room entry management.