ITL pilots automated door with biometric age checks for restricted retail

A petrol filling station has become the first in the UK to pilot a face biometrics age estimation system to unlock an automatic door to its shop’s beer cave. A beer cave is a separate space set off from the rest of the interior of a convenience store that allows retailers to stock cold, adult beverages.

The biometrics system comes via Innovative Technology (ITL), an extension of the company’s MyCheckr, which automates age checks at check-out.

Automatically unlocking the beer cave if it detects the customer is over the age of 25, the face biometrics system has been installed at Mellors Fuel Shop, Wantage, Oxfordshire, England.

When a potential liquor customer approaches the door to the beer cave at Mellors Fuel Shop, a camera scans their face biometrics. Then, using algorithms the system will decide whether the shopper is 25 or under, opening the sliding door automatically if it detects they are old enough.

If the system determines the buyer looks younger an alert flags up on a screen beside the cashier who can then verify the customer’s age before deciding to open the door. The Mellors shop pilot is Innovative Technology’s first deployment of its biometrics system to a beer cave for automatically opening the entrance.

ITL’s MyCheckr has helped to dissipate conflict and confusion since it will guide staff to ask for ID when the system flags a customer. The system in place at Mellors is operated by Top 50 Indie Krisco Services Group. Its Managing Director Luxman Selvarajah told Forecourt Trader, that because the firm has a “Challenge 25” policy for alcohol, the face biometrics system “takes some of the awkwardness out of asking for ID, and takes some of the pressure off cashiers.”

Selvarajah said customers have reacted well to the system, which also generates refusal logs, so staff don’t need to spend time on that task, and creates a dependable report if Trading Standards officers require documentation. Krisco has been sufficiently satisfied with MyCheckr to deploy the system across its self-service tills, having integrated it at its staffed checkouts.

The MyCheckr system requires no subscription fees while there are two tiers, with the “Mini” costing less than the standard system. MyCheckr checks for a person’s likely age by scanning a face, with the product a result of 12 years’ development, while it does not store any customer data on the device so there are no GDPR responsibilities. It is a system known as “facial biometric-assisted age estimation.” The system can save staff faces so team members who are under 25 can gain access without having to ask older colleagues to unlock it.

Innovative Technology congratulated its partner Maggi and Maggi UK Ltd T/A Maggi Electronics on its LinkedIn as its trading partner has become an ITL Approved Service Centre. This means the highest level of training has been successfully completed enabling Maggi to service and repair all products, parts and spares, further strengthening the partnership, according to Innovative Technology.

The UK company will be showcasing its age and identity products at the Retail Technology Show. The exhibition will take place at ExCeL London on April 2-3. Innovative Technology’s stand is at G70.

ITL exploring travel sector expansion

ITL will also attend Passenger Terminal Expo 2025 next week in Madrid, Spain to demonstrate its face biometric technology to the travel sector for the first time.

The company’s Senior Business Development Manager for age and identity technology John Vallis says ITL’s biometrics can be integrated with access control systems and e-gates to streamline passenger identity verification for strong security in frictionless passenger journeys. The company will also show off an ID scanner at its booth 9269.

“We have been working with one of our partners who have integrated MyCheckr for automated access control with a speed lane security gate, which will be fully operational on the stand,’ says Vallis. “This will clearly demonstrate how the airport sector can benefit from adopting biometric facial recognition technology to provide a secure and effective way of controlling who has authorised access. The security gate is coupled with the ITL Connect Hub and App which pushes instant notifications for any unauthorized access attempts to airport staff, which they can remotely approve or deny.”

Article Topics

biometric age estimation  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  Innovative Technology  |  retail biometrics