News

Freedom from cards, buttons, screens

NCR's Advanced Concepts Lab in Scotland has created an ATM, code named Freedom, designed for a wireless world, one in which ATMs don't have screens, keypads or card slots.

January 10, 2002

It's easy to imagine Mark Grossi squirreled away in a remote lab, dreaming up newfangled gizmos for the next James Bond caper. The Scot might be a perfect match for Q, Bond's legendary equipment officer.

Grossi is actually NCR Corp.'s agent for forward thinking in the ATM world, and his new ATM prototype would fool almost anyone accustomed to traditional ATMs. It looks more like a miniature red rocket.

Grossi, chief technology officer for NCR's Advanced Technology Group in Dundee, Scotland, said the bullet-shaped device is designed to interact with a customer's cell phone or personal digital assistant and has no screen, no buttons to push, no place to insert a card. Code-named Freedom, the ATM does have a dispenser for doling out cash and other items.

NCR's prototype for an ATM that interacts with wireless devices has no screen or keypad.

Most importantly, it is equipped with an electronic sensor that responds either to Infrared or Bluetooth signals. A consumer simply points a mobile device at the machine, punches in the correct information, and the cash is released.

"The concept is like a concept car," he said of NCR's Freedom project, created at the firm's Advanced Concept Lab. "You won't ever see it ….you'll see elements of it (in real-world applications)."

Grossi said it will be 12-18 months before real-world ATMs equipped to interact with wireless devices will be seen on the street. Most likely, he said the first will be introduced in the technology-hip Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. He said NCR is working with several banking clients who have shown great interest in the device.

The prototype is able to operate today, but Grossi said that consumer acceptance of new technology such as Bluetooth (which enables wireless connections between electronic devices) has been slow to gain general acceptance.

He said that the machines will be equipped with high-quality printers, enabling consumers to print items such as maps, directions or any document from their PDAs through the ATM.

"It takes time to change consumers' habits. We're looking to gauge consumer acceptance and grow it," he said. "The ATM is evolving into a physical fulfillment device."

Consumers will be able to use their own financial software packages, which will be compatible to the new ATMs and able to report such information as bank balances and transaction histories. The consumer will be able to enter the desired transaction information from home or any remote location on a personal device. Then, when approaching the machine, a simple PIN number entry on the PDA or mobile phone screen pointed at the ATM will signal the machine to take action.

The dispenser spits out the cash. No card, no fuss, no hassle.

NCR envisions placing the machines in numerous convenient spots for consumers, such as restaurants, convenience stores, airports and hotels. They can be packaged to fit in desktops or to hang from walls.

"The ATM has escaped from its hole in the wall," Grossi said. "We can build an ATM that is significantly more attractive."

As you would expect from someone whose job it is to think ahead, Grossi predicts that wireless-enabled ATMs will dominate the landscape in the future.

"I think that 10 years out, they'll be about as ubiquitous as Coke dispensers."