Amazon has introduced a new app featuring palm-reading technology. The app allows users to enroll in its palm recognition service remotely.
But how does it exactly work?
(Photo: Amazon)
Amazon One Launches Palm-Reading Tech
The Amazon One app utilizes a smartphone's camera to capture a photo of the user's palm print, eliminating the need to visit an in-store kiosk for enrollment.
Once enrolled, users can make payments using only their palms, providing a convenient alternative to traditional methods such as smartphones, cash, or cards.
The technology employs generative AI to analyze the vein structure of the palm, converting it into a unique numerical representation recognized by scanning devices at retail locations.
To begin using the service, users are required to add a payment method within the app and upload a photo of their ID for age verification purposes.
With the launch of the Amazon One app, the process of signing up for the palm recognition service has become more accessible and streamlined. Previously, customers had to physically visit a location equipped with Amazon One devices to complete enrollment.
Now, they can sign up from anywhere using the app, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
The app allows users to create their online profiles by logging into their Amazon account, taking a photo of their palm, and adding a payment method in a few simple steps.
Once enrolled, users can use Amazon One for various purposes, such as payment, entry, age verification, and loyalty rewards, at over 500 Whole Foods Market stores, numerous Amazon stores, and more than 150 third-party locations, including stadiums, airports, and fitness centers.
Generative AI Generates Synthetic Palm Images
Amazon One leverages generative AI to generate synthetic palm images, which are crucial in training machine learning models. The technology also enables matching a camera phone photo with near-infrared imagery from an Amazon One device while maintaining high accuracy and security standards.
During enrollment, the AI system compares palm and vein imagery captured by the Amazon One device with the user's camera phone photo to complete enrollment securely.
The palm-reading technology relies on both the palm and its underlying vein structure to create a unique numerical representation known as a palm signature for identity matching.
To ensure accuracy, Amazon One's AI innovation compares vector representations of palm images from the app with those from an Amazon One device, confirming the user's identity during palm scanning.
According to the company, palm images captured via the Amazon One app are encrypted and transmitted to a secure Amazon One domain in the AWS cloud to uphold customer privacy and data security.
Additionally, these images cannot be downloaded or saved to the user's phone, and the app incorporates additional layers of spoof detection to enhance security measures.
Related Article: Amazon Fined $7.8 Million by Poland for Misleading Customers, Faces Scrutiny Over Delivery Practices
