Technology keeps advancing by leaps and bounds to make people’s lives more and more comfortable, palm scanning for subway access is now being tested in China.
In an innovative move, the Beijing subway system has implemented a state-of-the-art ticketing system that eliminates the need for physical cards. Passengers can now enter the subway simply by scanning their palmsushering in a new era of convenience and efficiency.
This innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize public transport, offering a vision of a future where touchless and seamless experiences become the norm. Of course, it will only be available, at least for now, on the Daxing Airport Express metro line that connects with Beijing Daxing International Airport.
Biometric recognition is a process used in the purchase of tickets, where users register the palm of their hand to validate their trip and associate it with their biometric data. After completing this process, passengers can simply show their palm to the sensors and authorize the use of the ticket via WeChat, a popular messaging tool.
By eliminating the need for physical cards or tickets, the palm recognition system streamlines the overall process, reducing queues and minimizing waiting times. Passengers no longer have to dig through their wallets or bags to find their cards, improving the overall efficiency of the metro system.
The palm of your hand will serve so that you can travel on the subway in Beijing
Furthermore, this technology offers a significant advantage in terms of hygiene and health safety, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. By eliminating physical contact, the risk of germ transmission is greatly reduced, contributing to a cleaner and healthier transportation environment.
Logically, several aspects must be taken into account when placing the palm of the hand as an element that allows unlocking access to the subway. And, it is that, just like what happens with mobile phones, the fingerprint has to be stored and, even if it is local, this implies giving personal biometric data to a company.
Possibly in China there are not too many concerns for this, but in Europe the situation would be very different. The clearest example is what happened to the MWC organizing company, which has been sued and fined for the use of facial recognition to give journalists access to the venue where the fair is held.