Paying with a wave of your phone? Old school.
Finland-based startup Uniqul has developed technology that lets you shop without a wallet, a phone, a smartwatch — without anything in your hands or pockets.
If a store and local laws allowed it, you could:
- Walk in naked.
- Grab something off the shelf.
- Smile for the camera.
- Tap OK on a computer screen.
- Walk out.
Uniqul also envisions it being used as a way to instantly check into flights or pay for gas. The company calls it the “machine inspired by magic” in a silly video explaining how it works. (It’s in English.)
Uniqul is already placing terminals in the Helsinki area, Fast Company says. Your face can be linked to a variety of credit cards as well as PayPal and Square accounts, which are protected by “military-grade” encryption.
If it works as well as advertised, businesses could adopt it pretty quickly. “It’s likely to be free for merchants, while users pay a small stipend,” Fast Company says. This convenience would cost €6.99 (under $10) a month.
Sounds amazing, but also likely to exacerbate all the problems we discussed in Credit Cards Make You Fat and Dumb. What do you think? Would you pay $10 a month to walk around knowing you can buy stuff with empty pockets? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
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