Hologram Touch News
From Sixteen by Nine
On the heels of word that a fast casual restaurant chain in Quebec is testing touchless self-service ordering kiosks comes news of 7-Eleven deploying test units of a touchless payment station in some of its Japanese stores.
The program involves six different technology companies, with a division of Toshiba guiding the program.
From a Japanese online news site:
The floating touch panel registers were developed as a joint project between six different companies:
- Toshiba Tec, which created the POS payment system and is responsible for its installation and assembly in stores;
- 7-Eleven, who will equip its stores with the product and assist customers with its use while also verifying its effectiveness;
- Asukanet Development, which manufactures and sells plates for aerial displays;
- Kanda Kogyo Development, which manufactures and sells aerial display modules;
- Mitsui Chemicals Development, which manufactures and sells the adhesive “Structbond” used for aerial display plates;
- and Mitsui Bussan Plastic, which is involved in aerial display module sales and development.
The set-up is a counter-top display that lays flat but does some sort of reflection thing to create the illusion that the payment interface is floating at a 45 degree or so angle above the surface. Optical sensors detect basic gestures like pointing a finger at an icon on the virtual screen.