Amazon is introducing palm-scanning technology at its Amazon Go stores, letting customers pay, present loyalty cards and enter locations with their hands.

The new system, called Amazon One, uses “custom-built algorithms and hardware” to create a user’s unique palm signature.

Customers can now use the technology to gain entry to two Amazon Go stores in Seattle by hovering their hand above the device as they enter – with plans to expand the functionality to make payments or present loyalty cards upon exit.

To sign up, customers insert their credit card at a device and then hold their palm over it while it creates a unique palm signature in real time. They then have the option to enrol one or both of their palms, and will only need a credit card and phone number to sign up instead of an Amazon account.

The Amazon One technology will be offered to third party companies in the future, broadening use cases to places like stadiums and offices.

A statement from the e-commerce giant explained that “palm recognition is considered more private than some biometric alternatives because you can’t determine a person’s identity by looking at an image of their palm”.

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