You could be able, the next time you go to a baseball game, to buy beer and show that you are old enough to drink it with just a simple touch of your hand. Amazon announced on Monday that Coors Field is the first venue in sports to offer Amazon One’s age verification feature. The stadium is home to major-league baseball’s Colorado Rockies.
Amazon One is a palm-based service for identifying yourself and paying. You can pay and confirm your identity at various shops and venues by holding your hand over a scanner. Some Whole Foods locations and Panera are already using or adding palm scanners.
You must first enroll to use Amazon One. Coors Field has kiosks for enrollment at the SandLot Brewery (the first brewery in a Major League Ballpark) and Silver Bullet Bar (a full-service pub specializing locally and nationally brewed craft beer). Amazon One members who want to enroll can do so by going to one.amazon.com, uploading the front and back side of their government-issued ID (such as a driver’s licence) and a picture of themselves.
Major-league baseball is moving faster than ever. According to The Ringer, the new pitch clock has reduced MLB game times by almost half an hour this year.
Biometrics is the term for automated recognition based on physical characteristics. It’s a controversial subject. Amazon and other companies are facing lawsuits alleging that they used photos obtained without permission to train technologies.
Age-verification is available now at Denver’s Coors Field and will be extended to other venues over the next few months.
