Facial recognition technology for use in ATMs has been tested for a while now, but China seems to have won the race to roll out the first fully functional version to the general public. On Friday, a team of university and technology company researchers in China introduced an ATM with built-in facial recognition technology, which will ideally reduce the risk of illegal withdrawals.
The new ATM, built by a team from Tsinghua University and Tzekwan Technology, is equipped with cameras that capture images of faces and compares them with ID photos for verification, according to Xinhua. The facial recognition measure will be an added layer of identification on top of the traditional password or PIN required to access funds with a card. The ATM will also be linked to banks and local police offices to further bolster security.
Beyond the facial-recognition technology, the new ATM comes with improved counterfeit bill recognition and high-speed bank note handling, according to South China Morning Post. While other ATMs in China rely on imported technology, this version is completely Chinese. It’s also the first independently produced ATM in the country.
The new high-tech ATM purportedly identifies and verifies multiple currencies 20 percent more accurately than the world’s average ATM.
While this is being heralded as the world’s first ATM with facial recognition security technology, prototypes of such cash vending machines have been worked on for a number of years by the likes of Hoyos Labs, Securityplus Federal Credit Union in Baltimore, and Diebold.
