World Class rolls out palm scanning for access and payments

Icelandic gym chain World Class is introducing palm-scanning technology for member identification, with payments planned for next year, Morgunblaðið reports.

The system, developed by Finnish startup Zeesam, scans a person’s palm when it is held about 10 centimetres from the device. Scanners are already installed at Laugum, a World Class gym on Sundlaugavegur in Reykjavík, and are due to begin operating on Monday, October 26. The company plans to install them at the chain’s other gyms.

The scanners will replace the iris scanners World Class has used for identification. That change will happen after existing members have registered with Zeesam’s system. The technology can also be used for ticketing and payments, but World Class expects to add the payment function early next year and is discussing partnerships with payment providers.

Janne Takalo, Zeesam’s chief executive and founder, told Morgunblaðið that World Class is the company’s first customer in Iceland, which is also the first country outside Finland to adopt the system.

Takalo said information from users’ hands is encrypted and that Icelandic data will be stored in Iceland. He said the hand itself acts as the encryption key.