Brazilian-based ATM manufacturer Itautec debuted the world's first 3-D image-projecting ATM at CIAB Febraban 2011, held June 15-17 in Sao Paulo. Itautec America General Manager Marcio Dvorkin said that, based on reactions, the technology may heavily influence the development of future models in the company's fleet of ATMs.

The Adattis Touchless 3-D ATM, with patents pending, was quite an attraction at the show, with people lining up to interact with it, according to Dvorkin. CIAB Febraban is Latin America's largest financial and technology trade show.

"I spent some time standing behind the machine watching people's reactions, and it was really interesting. At first, you saw people looking at the machine, wrinkling their brows, and then you'd see their eyes widen as soon as they understood how it worked," Dvorkin said.

Transactions on the Adattis Touchless 3-D ATMs are controlled through contactless cards and gestures, which removes the ATM from the reach of thieves. Additionally, Itautec has implemented face-tracking technology that recognizes if the person at the ATM has changed or left. If a variation is detected, the session is terminated, safeguarding customer information.

"We've developed a new and safer way for customer interaction," said Denise Damiani, vice president of automation, Itautec. "The Adattis Touchless 3-D ATM meets the global demand for secure self-service banking equipment."

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The idea is to position the customer a safe distance from the machine, so there is no actual physical contact besides collecting cash from the dispenser, Dvorkin said, making it difficult for thieves to steal card information.

"We are currently working on a practical interface that will be acceptable for the banks," Dvorkin said. There are no deployments scheduled at this time.

Itautec was not able to disclose price points and costs associated with the Adattis 3-D Touchless ATM, since it is still in the development stage.

"Although it is an intriguing concept, and it appears to be many years ahead of its time, it is presumably a cost-prohibitive tool to reduce fraud. I do think it's great that companies develop things like this because it inevitably results in some type of new technology," said Sam Ditzion, founder and CEO of Boston-based Tremont Capital Group, a provider of strategic planning and consulting, research and other services to the ATM and related industries.

Itautec also unveiled at the trade show an ATM that recycles cash deposits. With a recycler built into Adattis ATMs, cash deposits are automatically credited to the customer's account, and the same notes are made available for withdrawal. This adds an additional safeguard by reducing the number of times an ATM is touched.

New cash recycling model offers customization

"The cash recycler works as a currency exchange on the ATM," Damiani said. "The ATM cash recycler helps financial institutions minimize capital expenditure and risk." The recycling feature uses deposits for future withdrawal instead of having a separate cash dispenser and acceptor.

"It reduces the number of times you have to send an armored car to the ATM location to both replenish and retrieve cash, so that by itself increases productivity," Dvorkin said.

Dvorkin also said that the cassettes are configurable and can be customized to be used as recycling, deposit only or withdrawal only, allowing flexibility according to the location where the machine is going to be installed.

"I think the main benefit is the ability to use the armored car more rationally and efficiently," Dvorkin said. Itautec plans to bring its cash recycling model to the U.S. market by the end of the year, along with its Adattis Cash Dispenser and 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant Adattis Intelligent Deposit ATMs.

The cash recycling feature could also be incorporated into the 3-D Touchless model for an added level of customization for financial institutions, according to Dvorkin. He also noted that the 3-D Touchless has the potential to accommodate multiple users with different interfaces projecting at the same time.

"Time will tell on how this will evolve. We have several ideas that we want to propose to our major customers. Based on feedback so far, this could open up possibilities for a whole different concept and completely change how ATMs are used today," Dvorkin said.