Built with indigenous technology.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: China has created the world’s first ATM that operates via facial recognition.
The new technology was masterminded by Tsinghua University, a research university in Beijing, and Tzekwan Technology, a Hangzhou-based company that specializes in financial security protection, Chinese state media reported.
The product has passed government certification and will soon be available on the market, reported The Telegraph.
The ATM works by utilizing biometrics in a similar fashion to surveillance tech in order to map facial data and match it against an existing ID database.
“This technology will ensure the greater security of card owners,” said Gu Zikun, Tzekwan chairman and anti-graft expert.
Beyond the facial-recognition technology, the new ATM comes with improved counterfeit bill recognition and high-speed bank note handling, according to South China Morning Post. While other ATMs in China rely on imported technology, this version is completely Chinese. It’s also the first independently produced ATM in the country, reported Digital Trends.
While it’s currently unclear who will produce the machines and how the initial data collection of images will work, Tzekwan claims that they will soon be made available commercially, according to Gizmodo.
Companies in several countries, including the United States, have tested ATMs that scan fingerprints in order to identify users, but questions have been raised about the viability of such systems.
It is likely that the same privacy concerns that have beleaguered cash machines using fingerprinting technology will afflict ATMs that utilize biometrics, despite the added layer of security.