During the Olympic Games in Paris, French retailer Carrefour is testing payment by palm vein recognition. In a Carrefour store in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, not far from the Ile de la Cité, customers have been able to use the innovative biometric payment method since beginning of this week. The technology comes from payment terminal specialist Ingenico.
To register for the system, customers must first have their vein diagram scanned at a special terminal and link it to their bank card. They can then pay cashless for their shopping by simply placing their palm on the payment terminal.
The process promises a particularly high level of security for bank and customer data. The French retailer expects to speed up checkout with the technology and thus improve the shopping experience. Its customer loyalty system can also be seamlessly integrated into the process.
Less susceptible to environmental influences
The network of veins in the palm of the hand is very complex and unique to each person. Because venous blood absorbs infrared radiation more strongly, the hand vein sensor can scan and store a unique image of the veins. To identify shoppers, the payment terminal at checkout compares the captured vein pattern with the stored and encrypted biometric data. Ingenico explains, that infrared light makes it possible to accurately capture the pattern of the veins regardless of skin condition or external factors. As veins are located under the skin, they are less exposed to wear and environmental influences than fingerprints or facial recognition. The new technology should therefore offer a higher level of security.
To develop the system, Ingenico worked together with Texan provider of biometric access systems Fulcrum Biometrics as well as with Fujitsu. Ingenico deployed the new technology for the first time at Red Expres in Tienda Inglesa, Uruguay, in the first half of this year.
Amazon tested a similar system
US online giant Amazon had already launched a similar system under the name Amazon One. In July 2023, the company announced that it would be rolling out contactless payment with the palm of your hand to all its Whole Foods supermarkets in the USA. Carrefour has not yet commented on further plans for the technology.
In this video, Ingenico’s CTO Michel Leger explains in French language how palm vein recognition works. (Video: Ingenico)
