The Future Is Here Today...Robots, Genetics, AI, Longevity, Singularity

Vending Machines Take Finger Scans Instead of Cash

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by Aaron Saenz on August 24th, 2009

The day has arrived where all the money in the world is at your finger tips. Or rather, all the money in your credit card is in your finger veins. Biometric scanners are popping up everywhere, and now Hitachi has debuted the first vending machine that will accept a finger scan instead of cash or coins. By linking the scan to a credit card account, customers can simply place their finger in the machine and purchase whichever snack goods they desire most. It’s probably the best reward you’ll ever get for giving a vending machine the finger.

Finger goes in, Coke comes out. Easy, huh?

Finger goes in, Coke comes out. Easy, huh?

The biometric sensor in Hitachi’s new vending machine uses light to scan and read the number and orientation of veins in your finger tip without directly touching a sensor. This provides a unique code for access to a credit card account that has to be established independently of the vending machine. While the machine is only a prototype, and Hitachi hasn’t yet decided whether or not to make a commercial version, the concept itself is more than enough to be causing a buzz. It’s far from the first use of a biometric sensor, but it has the potential to be the most commonly seen application of the technology.

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3D Scanner Recreates Real-Life Objects on the Computer Screen

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by Andrew Kessel on July 29th, 2009

The line between computers and reality has been blurred.  We have murders committed because of World of Warcraft, Second Life romances (an activity normally reserved for the three dimensional world), and now there’s a way to turn any real-life object into a computer model.  Yes, the NextEngine 3D Scanner does just what it’s name implies.  It scans any object with a bunch of lasers and makes it into a fully workable CAD assembly right on the computer screen.  We’ve seen 3D printers and Claytronics here on the Hub but, with the NextEngine now on sale, reverse engineering will never be the same again.

Lots of lasers and stuff...

Lots of lasers and stuff...

The idea behind it is fairly simple.  Well, as simple as one can get when lasers are involved.  The laser scans the object and takes a 3D snapshot of the face, employing the devilishly tricky wave-particle duality theories to get 400 data samples per square inch.  The computer then automatically takes the data points and strings them together to make a 3D computer model that is easily imported into other CAD software.

Depending on how big the item is, a couple of scans at different angles might be required.  That might sound daunting but, with the visual editing software that comes bundled with the package, it’s a cinch.  What, you say?  Too lazy to go through and put your own 3D scans together into one image?  Then sit back and let the AutoPositioner automatically move the sample.  No, serious.  It’s pretty neat.  Check it out in the video below.

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