Amazon is testing biometric technology that will let Whole Foods shoppers pay for their groceries by waving their hands, according to the New York Post.
Code-named Orville, the system will let Amazon Prime customers take a scan of their hands at Whole Foods and then link the data to a credit or debit card. Customers can then check out by waving their hands past a scanner.
The technology is being tested by staffers at vending machines at Amazon's New York offices, says the Post, and could be introduced at a handful of Whole Foods stores by early next year ahead of a full roll out.
However, Amazon engineers are still tweaking the technology in an effort to improve accuracy from one ten-thousand of one per cent to a millionth of one per cent, source tells the tabloid.
Amazon has been experimenting with another payment option at its Go stores, which have no cashiers, instead using "just walk out" technology, which taps sensors and cameras to track what items customers take from the shelves and then automatically charges through an app.
Amazon says that both options make paying faster and more convenient for customers, but tech ethics researcher Stephanie Hare tells the Post that shoppers should be wary about handing over potentially valuable biometric data to companies.