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'In your eyes ... '
August 21, 2013 by Richard Buckle — Founder and CEO, Pyalla Technologies, LLC
"In your eyes; the resolution of all the fruitless searches." So go the lyrics of the Peter Gabriel song, "In your eyes." A few lines further on, he exclaims, "Oh, I want to be that complete!"
The tune played as I searched for quotes from the Tom Cruise movie, "Minority Report." The scene I was looking for was of Cruise's character — the recipient of new eyes — being identified as "Mr. Yamamoto" as he walks into a GAP store. Yes, it's fantasy, but getting closer to reality every day. Not the eyeball exchange, of course, but the immediate recognition of who we are as we shop in stores.
I am not talking about futuristic NSA-style monitoring but rather, something much more benign. Furthermore, it's something we may have actually asked for in our desire to spend less time in checkout lines.
CNET broke recently about a PayPal test of a new mobile payments interface that relies on your face for verification. "Using the PayPal app for iOS, Android, or Windows Phone, shoppers can see nearby participating merchants highlighted on their mobile phones," the article said.
Apparently, just from looking at your face, "The person's name and photo then pops up on the store's payment system. After the customer agrees to pay for the item, the cashier clicks on the person's photo to send the payment through. The customer receives an alert via phone with the amount paid, along with PayPal's usual receipt."
One merchant participating in the trial said, "Customers don't have to worry about having cards, cash or change, just their phones — it is the quickest transaction through the till, which means less queues and we never have to turn down a sale, both of which are great for business."
I participate in many loyalty programs (is there a limit to just how many loyalties one can express and still be considered a loyal customer?), most of which are keyed to phone numbers. But my wife and I at last count had seven different numbers — and that's likely to grow. So, wanting to capitalize on the loyalty program to get 10 cents of the price of gas, I hold up the line as I check off one phone number after another. With facial recognition, this issue would disappear altogether. Fewer fruitless searches — I can handle that.
The UK newspaper, The Independent, ran a second, similarly themed story. "Designed to effectively transform your face into your PIN, the terminals use cameras to confirm your identity, meaning all the shopper needs to do is look into the lens and press OK," it said.
"In fact, the 'world's fastest payment system' can even recognize individuals as they approach the cashier, meaning transactions could be completed in less than five seconds, potentially destroying the market for supermarket queue impulse buys in the process." I wonder if GAP stores are already all over this technology.
When it comes to ATMs, all the pieces are in place — screen, keyboard, and camera, too, for the most part. However, could facial recognition — looking us squarely in the eye — speed up transactions and do so in a secure, unambiguous manner? Could this really be the answer many of us seek?
At times like this (and armed with questions like the above), I turn to my good friend Yash Kapadia, CEO of OmniPayments Inc. For a CEO successfully selling payments processing solutions around the planet, Yash is extremely approachable and always seems able to find time to answer my questions.
"Depending solely on facial recognition at ATMs is not without its pitfalls. Lighting, for instance, may prove troublesome, as would the simple process of aging, let alone consumers who may have their faces hidden beneath headdresses as is the case in some societies," said Yash.
"In emerging markets where I spend a lot of my time, this may not be the right direction to head. Even as I applaud the likes of PayPal trialing such an option in the U.K., this solution requires network sophistication beyond levels of practicality for most of the global community."
To quote Robert De Niro in the film Taxi Driver, "You lookin' at me?" may be heard more often if the trials planned by companies in the U.K. and Finland prove successful. Do not rule out that in some markets this technology may indeed take off and prove popular.
The enthusiasm expressed by vendors pursuing such solutions may very well find a marketplace, even if it is solely in developed countries.
And that could possibly raise the eyebrows of many who follow this industry. "Here's looking at you, kid," will take on a completely new meaning and I have to admit, I am not sure I will be looking at my local ATM machine the same way ever again!
Read more about ATM innovation.
About Richard Buckle
Richard Buckle is the founder and CEO of Pyalla Technologies, LLC. He has enjoyed a long association with the Information Technology (IT) industry as a user, vendor, and more recently, as an industry commentator, thought leader, columnist and blogger. Richard participates in the HPE VIP Community where he is part of their influencer team.
