Amazon licenses palm-based identification to legendary concert venue

Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre has featured the Grateful Dead, U2, Eagles, Dave Matthews Band…and now Amazon One biometric ticketing.

Launched in September 2020, Amazon One is a proprietary technology designed to let customers use their unique palm signature to pay or present a loyalty card at a store, as well as perform activities like enter a stadium or badge into work. The solution uses custom-built algorithms and hardware to create a person’s unique palm signature.

Amazon is now partnering with digital ticketing agency AXS to deploy standalone ticketing pedestals including Amazon One at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre concert venue located in the metro Denver area. This means, upon enrolling their AXS Mobile ID with Amazon One, consumers will now have the option to scan their palm to enter concerts and events, without having to show a physical or mobile ticket or ID.

This marks the first time the Amazon One service is licensed to a third party, or available outside Amazon and Whole Foods Market stores and for entry into an entertainment venue. The AXS entry option is live as of Sep. 14, 2021 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and Amazon expects it to be added to more AXS ticketed venues in the future.

[Read more: Amazon bringing cashierless tech to Whole Foods Market]

When entering the Red Rocks venue, customers who have enrolled with Amazon One for AXS ticketing can choose to scan their palm instead of their mobile ID or ticket. Customers can enroll at a dedicated station just before they enter the amphitheater, or at a second enrollment station inside the venue for future AXS events. Enrollment takes less than a minute, and customers will have the option to enroll with just one palm or both.

When a ticketholder is ready to enter the amphitheater using their palm, there is a designated entry line where Amazon One is enabled. When a customer hovers their palm over the Amazon One device, a unique palm signature is built by Amazon’s computer vision technology.

The service is designed to be highly secure and uses custom-built algorithms and hardware to create a person’s unique palm signature. Once enrolled, the service is contactless, and ticketholders can use their palm to enter AXS ticketed venues in less than a second or two.

“We are proud to work with Amazon to continue shaping the future of ticketing through cutting-edge innovation,” said Bryan Perez, CEO of AXS. “We are also excited to bring Amazon One to our clients and the industry at a time when there is a need for fast, convenient, and contactless ticketing solutions. At AXS, we are continually deploying new technologies to develop secure and smarter ticketing offerings that improve the fan experience before, during, and after events.”

Amazon One is the second leading-edge digital payment/verification technology Amazon has licensed to third-party partners. In March 2020, the company began making the technology supporting its Amazon Go checkout-free store format available to other retailers. The “Just Walk Out” technology platform combines computer vision, sensor fusion, and machine-learning algorithms.

In addition to AXS, Amazon One is now available at more than 60 locations at select Amazon Go, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Books, Amazon 4-star, Amazon Fresh, and Amazon Pop Up stores. The omnichannel giant has rolled out the service in several regions, including Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington state, and Washington D.C.