MYFOXNY.COM – Your thumbprint might soon be the key to an afternoon candy bar. A Massachusetts based vending machine company is joinng the growing ranks of companies that are field-testing new technologies.
Next Generation Vending and Food Service is experimenting with biometric vending machines that would allow a user to tie a credit card to their thumbprint. “For a certain demographic that is pretty cool,” says company president John S. Ioannou. Next Generation is currently testing about 60 of the biometric machines in various locations in the northeast.
The company is also testing other technologies. Ioannou says the key to the transforming the vending machine business is making the consumer feel more engaged. The days might be numbered where a consumer watches a bag of chips roll through the machine and drop. Next Generation is also testing a machine that includes a 46″ touch-screen display that acts similarly to an iPhone display. The user can click on an item, flip the image and even see the nutrional information on the back of the packaging.
Ioannou says initial results are good saying, “The feedback is extraordinary.” The machines include internally mounted cameras to monitor what is going on outside of the machine.
Obviously to be tied into your Government Health Care Credit system. Soon you’ll need a chip for your chips.
And the record of all your junk food purchases will be linked to your medical information file in the server in Viriginia, so as to easily determine your health care insurance benefits available.
The next step will be scanning your DNA to see if you have a genetic predisposition for obesity or diabetes, then automatically selecting your food for you.
Or, checks your body fat index and tells you to put down the donut, fatty.
Obviously to be tied into your Government Health Care Credit system.
The Government already relies on full body scans for flying on plane. To use the Obama Health Care Credit system, he is going to require anal scans – just bend over.
It’ll never work in Europe. The European Court of Human Rights will argue that a midgets rights are being infringed when they are not able to obtain their snack because theretinal scanner cannot see their eyeball.
Unless of course the EU version of these vending machines incldes a step.
This is one of those things that they are doing it because they can not because there is a market for them.
It would seem that there would be a lot more call for a system that really IDs you when you are using that same debit/credit card to buy a $1000+ TV at Best Buy tha when you are buying a bag of chips.
Great. As this becomes more commonplace, instead of worrying that someone might steal my wallet or credit cards, I have to be concerned that they will cut off a finger (or poke out an eye) to steal from me.
Unintended consequences.
1, Faxon,
Funny, I was thinking along those lines as well. Seems to be a great way to invade people’s privacy to track their consumption habits for the greater good of “free” health care.
An acceptable $1 coin would be a much better innovation.
Another thought: Are these things being developed by the purveyors of gloves and sunglasses?
McCullough said, “Obviously to be tied into your Government Health Care Credit system. Soon you’ll need a chip for your chips.”
Think how easy it would be to incorporate a weighing scale. You already have to stand in a certain spot to scan your retina. Why not weigh you at the same time? So, you punch in for a bag of Doritos and the display pops up you’ve gained six pounds and dispenses a bag of carrot sticks. Meantime, your weight gain is forwarded to the death panels.
So,
NO more credit cards and being able to DUMP THE CARD..
NOW, your credit is LINKED PHYSICALLY to your person.
What a way to get EVERY PERSONS FINGER PRINTS on file.
do you know who has access to your credit card info? ANYONE with $35.
# 8 spsffan said,
“An acceptable $1 coin would be a much better innovation.”
We have beautiful $1 coins. Unfortunately Congress insists on printing $1 bills as well. Stop printing $1 bills and dollar coins will become ubiquitous.
I’m still waiting for a beer vending machine.
12,
goto japan, they use them for EVERYTHING.
12, Rabble Rouser,
Germany (or most of Europe) offers beer in most public vending machines.
“Place your eye next to the scanner; DON’T BLINK”
(whirring noises heard)
(money drops into machine)
“I’m sorry Mr Perkel. You have exceeded your allotment of nut bars for the day, and we have come to the conclusion you are feeding your squirrel rather than letting him fend for himself. So enjoy this 3 Musketeers bar instead.”
(pack of gum drops into retrieval slot)
“Have a nice day!”
If you buy chips they will charge you more for insurance.
We already had the most expensive health care in the world and the more I learn about the side effects of what is going on the more it looks like it’s going to seriously reduce the standard of living of everyone making over about 45,000 a year.
Don’t worry Papa Doc and Mama Doc are going to take care of you. They will go on vacation and you can pay the bills.
So in the not too distant future. Instead of thieves stealing your wallet and credit cards. They’ll just hack off your thumbs, or gouge out an eyeball. But at least they won’t be stealing those little rectangles of painted plastic. You got to figure that eventually, and in relatively little time, they’ll come up with a way of copying and reproducing finger prints and retinal scans. At least good enough to fool vending machines. There will probably be a smart phone App for that, any day now.
I can’t think of a single thing, use to identify oneself, that can’t be stolen somehow. We should just go back to legal tender as the only means of payment. That way everyone’s on the same level. And the credit card industry can’t screw its customers more than most thieves they’ll encounter. All the thieves can get then, are the bills you carry. And not your whole financial identity.
Protection from fraud is also a key to choosing the right credit card processing terminal.
Thumbprint, maybe. Retina? Creepy.
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