DESIGNING OUT CRIME
'Hand' held technology for cashless payments
Fredrik Leifland of Lund University had the brain wave of using existing vein scanning technology as a payment method, while he was waiting to pay at the supermarket.
Leifland designed the hand-scanning machine called Quixter, where the user places the palm of the hand on a plastic holder over the reader.
“We had to connect all the players ourselves, which was quite complex: the vein scanning terminals, the banks, the stores and the customers. The next step was finding ways of packaging it into a solution that was user friendly”, says Leifland.
There are currently 15 stores and restaurants mainly around the Lund University campus that use the terminals, with 1,600 active users.
About security Leifland explains, “Every individual’s vein pattern is completely unique, so there really is no way of committing fraud with this system. You always need your hand scanned for a payment to go through.”
To sign up for the 'hand' payments, people have to visit one of the stores with a terminal, and enter their social security and telephone number. The palm then is scanned three times, and subsequently a text message is sent to the mobile with an activation link from the website. A further form needs to be completed online, but once done, there is no need for renewal.
Visit the Quixter website for more information.
