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Why biometric vending machines are taking over alcohol sales
Vending machines that use facial age estimation are now selling alcohol in Germany and the US, with the AI helping to inform ID checks.
According to reports from Biometric Update, Diebold Nixdorf algorithms in Germany and IDScan.net technology in the US are two such examples where alcoholic drink sales are being monitored via AI.
One example can be seen in a German store known as Dorfladen Freckenfeld, which sells alcohol using facial age estimation from Diebold Nixdorf Vynamic Smart Vision biometric facial age estimation technology, to ensure alcohol is not sold to minors.
Diebold Nixdorf vice president of retail technology solutions Matt Redwood said: “The village store in Freckenfeld is a successful example of how modern store technology with self-service checkouts can help to ensure that local supplies, which are urgently needed in rural areas in particular, are available around the clock.”
Redwood explained: “The automatic, AI-based age verification solution also enables a faster checkout process. This pleases customers and allows employees to concentrate on their core tasks.”
Additionally, cities in Ohio have also started to use self-service vending for age-restricted goods. For instance, according to 614NOW, a beer vending machine has been launched in Columbus, Ohio by craft brewer Land-Grant brewing and local partner VenGuard. The vending machine reportedly uses face biometrics for age verification by comparing a photo to the image on a scanned ID card. Plus, the system is also trained to recognise fake IDs after training an algorithm with fakes collected from local bars.
Similarly, in Cleveland, Boxxtech has been reported to have rolled out a second vending machine for its alcoholic drinks sales at Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians. The Boxx vending machines are said to use IDScan.netfor age verification and the vending machine scans a customer’s ID and then compares their face biometrics to confirm their age. Reports outlined that the first Boxx was initially used last year to sell alcohol at Guardians games, with the aim of reducing how long customers have to queue for drinks.
According to a statement from IDScan.net, alcoholic drinks sales take approximately 30 seconds. C Progressive Field has been trialling the same technology via biometric fan entry supplied by Clear since 2019. In addition, at Cleveland Browns Stadium, IDmission’s technology is now also being used for biometric age verification at some of its concessions operated by Aramark. Reports have also revealed that the same system is being deployed inside ‘Walk Thru Brus’ locations at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh as well as Empower Field at Mile High in Denver and Soldier Field in Chicago.
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