Can you imagine a world without having to pay using cash or credit cards? This may actually be a reality today after a Swedish engineering student created a technology that allows people to swipe their hands to make purchases.

LundUniversity researchers have just come up with a hand scanning machine that scans the unique patterns of people’s veins for payments. Researcher Fredrik Leifland assured that ‘Every individual’s vein pattern is completely unique, so there really is no way of committing fraud with this system.

‘You always need your hand scanned for a payment to go through.’

To register, users simply have to visit a shop that has a hand scanner installed. They should then scan their palm three times and enter their social security number and phone numbers. An online activation link with additional instructions will be sent via SMS.

Payments will be taken directly from the person’s bank account twice a month.

The researchers said that there are already 15 shops in Lund that have the system installed. They plan to introduce their technology to other business and are already working on an alternative mode of payment. Around 1,600 people have also already registered in Lund.

Vein scanning technology is not new, but it has never been used as a mode of payment.