Diebold eyes up ATM future

Diebold Incorporated, a leading manufacturer of ATMs (automated teller machines), has developed a commercial ATM machine which identifies customers using a retina scan.

Robert Mahoney, chairman and CEO of Diebold, said the new generation of ATMs "will recognise you - they'll talk to you and there'll be no need
to use a card".

Michael Hillock, Diebold's group vice president of International Sales and Service, said the buzzword in the ATM industry is biometrics - a sophisticated technique that "uses bodily characteristics as an ID method".

But Hillock admitted biometric ID technology in ATMs is currently very expensive, making it economically unviable for most of Diebold's clients. "It's certainly more costly than using a card with a pin code," he said.

The company says it is concentrating on developing cutting edge technology which will constitute the next generation of 'smart' cash machines.

The retina scan machine will be on show at the CeBIT trade fair in Hanover, Germany, later this month.