Vending machines are pretty straightforward in terms of their use. You put money into the coin/note slot, press the item you want, get your item, and you’re good to go. However, over in Japan, it seems that some vending machines are taking things to a new level by introducing facial recognition systems.
The innovative slot machines will ease the woes of players who in the past lost loyalty points. With the failure to insert their loyalty cards when they begin their gaming adventures. Thanks to the facial recognition technology, the innovative slot machines will simply ‘look’ and detect the player who is playing. The use of facial recognition in E.Sun's ATMS is touted as a world first, and will allow customers to withdraw cash from ATMs via facial recognition and PIN authentication after they have performed.
As reported by SoraNews24, it seems that beverage maker DyDo are installing facial recognition systems in their machines. These machines are made in collaboration with NEC which uses NEC’s Bio-IDion facial recognition systems. The idea is that by scanning your face, you can make payments without actually having to use cash.
Customers will be required to register an account by submitting a photo and linking a credit card, so when the machine recognizes your face, it will automatically charge your card with your purchase. This will come in handy if you don’t have any cash on you and want a potentially faster way to pay. It should be noted that some vending machines in Japan already offer alternative payment methods like using train passes, so this would not necessarily be the first contactless option.
That being said, we have to wonder about the privacy implications of using facial recognition. Cash offers a degree of anonymity, but using your face could lead to tracking, especially if they know which machines you are visiting. The new vending machines will initially be part of a 3-month trial where they’ll be limited to DyDo and NEC’s offices and factories, before being pushed out to the public assuming the trials go well.
Filed in . Read more about Japan and Privacy. Source: soranews24
Rideau Carleton Raceway's slot machines are now equipped with facial recognition technology, as part of a bid to help addicts bar themselves from gaming facilities.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation installed the technology at the complex two weeks ago, as they have also done at about two-thirds of the slots and casinos across the province.
The technology relies on a method of 'self-exclusion,' whereby compulsive gamblers volunteer in advance to have their photos banked in the system's database, in case they ever get the urge to try their luck at a casino again.
If that person returns in the future and the facial-recognition software detects them, security will be dispatched to ask the gambler to leave.
15,000 gamblers signed up
Already, about 15,000 gamblers across Ontario have signed up to restrict themselves from playing at slots or casinos, according to the OLG. Roughly 100 had signed up at Rideau Carleton Raceway to restrict their gambling before the introduction of the new software.
While video cameras at the entrance will scan all customers, OLG said there is no danger of misuse of that information.
Tony Bitonti, a spokesperson for the OLG, said the majority of those playing slots need not worry about having their photos stored anywhere.
'If you're not on the self-excluded database, your picture is automatically discarded,' Bitonti said. 'OLG is not keeping pictures for any other type of database or anything like that. Facial recognition is there to act as a deterrent to those who are on our self-included list.'
Privacy concerns
Dallas Smith, who counsels compulsive gamblers with the Centretown Community Health Centre, said the deterrent technology has some advantages as well as drawbacks.
Privacy is one issue.
'Who will be able to see that list?' Smith asked. 'And if someone they know works at OLG, will [the staff member] be able to go on the list and know [the client] has a problem with gambling?'
Facial Recognition Slot Machines
Even so, Smith agreed the facial-recognition system was a 'more fool-proof' gambling deterrent for those who are serious about keeping themselves in check.
Slot Machines Facial Recognition
Bitonti said the software should catch more people who shouldn't be in casinos, and added that the OLG worked with Ontario's privacy commissioner to address privacy concerns before rolling out the new system.