A Wallet in Your Hand

In a world moving quickly toward seamless, touchless transactions, Amazon is betting on the most personal form of authentication: your palm.

Amazon One is a biometric identity service that lets users pay, verify identity, or gain access simply by hovering their hand over a scanner. It’s a convergence of convenience, security, and machine vision, packaged into a gesture as familiar as a wave.

What Makes It Different

Unlike fingerprint or facial recognition systems, Amazon One uses palm recognition with vein mapping. The palm’s surface ridges and subdermal blood vessel patterns are both unique to the individual and far less likely to be copied or spoofed.

Each time you hover your palm over a scanner, the device captures an image using near-infrared light, processes it securely in the cloud, and matches it against your stored biometric signature. That match becomes your key to check out at Whole Foods, check in at a medical clinic, or verify your age at an event.

Core Innovation Details

• Biometric Precision: Uses a combination of palm lines and vein structure to create a unique biometric signature that’s difficult to fake or duplicate.

• Cloud-Based Infrastructure: Built on Amazon Web Services (AWS), it supports large-scale deployment and encrypted biometric data storage.

• Touchless Interface: Works without physical contact, reducing friction in retail and increasing hygiene in public environments.

• Real-World Integration: Amazon One isn’t just a prototype—it’s already in use at hundreds of locations including Whole Foods, sports venues, and healthcare centers.

• Privacy by Design: Data is encrypted, stored securely, and users can delete their biometric profile at any time through the Amazon One portal.

Applications in Use

• Retail: Customers can link their payment method and shop without cards or phones at over 500 Whole Foods stores.

• Healthcare: NYU Langone Health uses Amazon One for faster, more secure patient check-ins.

• Hospitality and Events: Used at venues like Coors Field for quick entry, age verification, and ticketless admission.

Amazon One is not just about faster lines—it’s about making identity portable, secure, and intuitive. The aim is to streamline how people move through the world, removing barriers tied to wallets, IDs, and hardware.