ThirdFactor | Japanese smokers must first pass biometric age test

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Fujitaka, a Japanese company has begun development on a vending machine that uses face recognition technology to check a smoker’s age and keep anyone under the age of 20 from having access to cigarettes.

Purchasers who failed a digital camera “age test” would need to show the machine an ID card to establish they were legally allowed to smoke. The system compares facial characteristics including bone structure, sags and crow’s feet against a record of more than 100,000 people and Fujitaka says the system gets it right in nine out of ten cases.

Read the full story here.

Japanese police nab Chinese woman with altered fingerprints

In their investigation of a Chinese woman accused of credit card theft, Japanese police discovered that the woman had had her fingerprints surgically altered, according to an Epoch Time article. The woman, named Lin Xiuai, confessed to having a special clinic China perform the surgery to have her fingerprints changed for the equivalent of just under $4,500 due to wanting to enter Japan and having being arrested there in 2001 for suspicion of illegally entering the country. The surgery was successful enough that it enabled her to pass the biometric checkpoints at the airport.

Potential flaws in biometric vending machine success

While new high-tech vending machines are being released with options such as touch screens, nutritional information displays, wireless coin dispensers, stock monitors and biometric payments, some feel the idea of moving forward with biometric-based payments on the devices may not work yet, according to a Retail Solutions Online article.

Airlines pilot NFC for check in

Airlines are interested in using NFC technology for passenger check-in, according to check-in.aero. In 2009, Air France, Amadeus and IER partnered with Nice Côte d’Azur Airport to test NFC technology.

Report: Card use, m-payment increasing in Japan

Companiesandmarkets.com has released a new report providing statistics on market size, competitor market shares and forecasts for the Japanese payment card market.

The report, “Payment Cards in Japan,” also provides an overview of regulation, competitor activities, issuer strategy and product innovation, including developments in contactless, mobile payments, online and prepaid cards up to 2014.

Biometric Signature ID announces results of software study

Biometric Signature ID (BSI) announced positive results from a study of their software-only approach to biometric authentication for students using PCs. The new solution utilizes gesture biometrics via a user’s mouse and is envisioned to provide distance-learning students a more effective and secure means of accessing personal student files, discussion groups and other private areas of school networks.

Bank of America to test microSD cards for mobile payments

Bank of America will be testing NFC payments enabled through microSD cards, a spokesperson for the bank tells NFCNews.com. The program will begin in September and run through the end of the year in New York.

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Japanese smokers must first pass biometric age test