With a tech boom at its peak, there are hundreds of interesting stories to capture of entrepreneurs trying to change the world. From start-ups that want to help you grow your own small business, to those that want to help you never waste a Friday night, there are companies all over, mid-development as we speak, all aimed at making your life easier. Everyone is taking a stab at it, it's the norm now. But that didn't stop us from being taken aback when NPR profiled one of the latest innovations in the making.
"You can easily lose your wallet, but it's pretty difficult to lose your face," wrote Elise Hu, in what has to be one of the most bizarre leads you'll read this week. "That's the motivation behind Finland-based startup Uniqul, which is testing a system that lets users conduct payment transactions with their faces."
Founded in February of this year with the goal of developing "the world's fastest payment system," Uniqul is the company that is trying to bring some aspects of futuristic movies to life. Their goal is to create a product that allows stores to give you the option of making purchases with a simple look into a lens.
If you think it sounds creepy in this post-NSA world, the explanation behind the idea will make you feel no better.
“In the background our algorithms are processing your biometrical data to find your account in our database as you are approaching the cashier," a press release from the company stated. "The whole transaction will be done in less than 5 seconds – the time it usually takes you to pull out your wallet.”
If you're trying to put together an image in your head of how this would look and/or feel, don't worry. The company has released a demo-video as well, one that's sure to remind you of MCP from the movie "Tron." If this catches on, we're sure the folks at Uniqul will party like it's 1984.
Check out the video below.
