E-pub: biometrics in the pub
Fingerprints used to be the territory of detectives dusting for dabs at a crime scene. But technology is increasingly allowing governments and companies to use biometrics, as they're now called, to prevent crime.
Touchscreen tills can now incorporate fingerprint readers to identify staff, and similar technology is being introduced to stop customers taking advantage of the smoking ban to get free entry into pubs and clubs charging on the door.
EPoS supplier J2 is offering a fingerprint sign-in capability as an optional extra on its newest touchscreen till, the J2 560. Barstaff sign in by touching a keypad which recognises their unique 'signature'.
"Generally, access to tills has been by a card or passcode," explains J2 director Moray Boyd. "This way it is much more secure. You will never get anyone signing in with a colleague's details.
"Look at the average turnover of staff that an independent pub has," he continues. "It's phenomenal, and so is the potential for abuse. This completely knocks that on the head.
"It's a technology that's been requested by various parts of the market and people would have adapted it years ago, but the costs were prohibitive. It can now be done because the price has lowered. Moray warns that "it's not a plug-and-play device - it has to be integrated with the software on the terminal, and it needs the software companies to adopt this technology".
But he believes fingerprint recognition will be driven by the customer - "the pub group saying 'this is the technology we want' because it gives far more security than other systems. Biometrics is the future. It will see the demise of card technology."
Meanwhile, the smoking ban is driving interest in a biometrics-based device called Smokescreen which aims to prevent people sneaking into venues claiming that they've just popped out for a fag.
It's been on test in London and around 100 units have been bought by operators across the country in advance of the English ban.
Traditional solutions to this problem are wristbands and stamps, but according to IDScan, the company that has developed the new machine, they are too easily swapped or forged and, surprisingly, can work out more expensive than a high-tech system which costs a one-off £400.
With Smokescreen, anyone going outside for a smoke presses their thumb against a fingerprint reader. They then have a period of time - set by the operator - in which to return without having to pay another entrance fee.
The machine will also tell you how many people are outside at any time, allowing you to set a limit.
Fingerprint memories are wiped clean when the customer presses their thumb on the reader to re-enter, or after half-an-hour if they don't come back, avoiding any data protection issues.
Further down the line, IDScan, which originally came into the pubs and clubs market with an ID card scanner, is testing Cloakscan, which uses similar technology to Smokescreen to help match customers with their coats.
