It seems like everything has now embraced 'contactless' technology, although in nearly all these contactless interactions, your bank card/ travel card/ iPhone/ Apple Watch/ magic wand/ etc. or the hand that is holding one of these does make some contact with the reader. Therefore the reader should provide a tiny jolt of haptic feedback during the interaction to show that the transaction has worked - the reader is mains-powered so (unlike haptic feedback on your phone) there isn't a power-conservation issue.

I know that these readers provide other kinds of feedback too (e.g. a beep) but people don't hear this if they're wearing headphones, and if the combination of feedback makes a transaction complete slightly faster this could be immensely beneficial. On a transport system like the London Underground, with 5m passenger-journeys per day, the ticket barriers are a source of congestion, and shaving just a fraction of a second off the transaction could make a big difference.
-- hippo, Feb 04 2019

Ooops wrong link Variable_20weight_20cashpoint_20cards
adding weight to a payment/bank card in realtime, and vice versa [not_morrison_rm, Feb 06 2019]

//magic wand/ etc// My two dogs are both chipped - I'm wondering if the technology exists to pay by spaniel.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 04 2019


Yes it does, but you risk getting your change in chihuahuas ...
-- 8th of 7, Feb 04 2019


While it might seem, on first glance, an excellent idea to enable canine-based contactless payment (so that you can, for example, stride purposefully into a coffee shop, make your order ("Coffee, please" - people who stride purposefully don't fanny about with lattes, cappuccinos and flat whites), and then command your faithful pet to go and pay for it ("Rover, pay! - good dog!")), after a very short period of time the colossal flaw of this approach will become evident, that is, that a reasonably intelligent dog will grasp the basic principle of contactless payment and will sneak off to the local butcher's with increasing frequency, returning to you looking a bit dazed and fatter.
-- hippo, Feb 04 2019


// looking a bit dazed //

Are there any Labradors that don't have a permanent "a bit dazed" look ?
-- 8th of 7, Feb 04 2019


Sorry - "looking a bit more dazed than usual"
-- hippo, Feb 04 2019


It's just an act : they figger if they look a bit out of sorts, they'll get a sympathy doggie treat.

Meanwhile, idea [+] : my "tap'n'go" doesn't work all the time with every machine, and I can never remember which part of the card goes onto which part of the reader.
-- FlyingToaster, Feb 04 2019


//pay by spaniel//

My spaniel has gone grey around the muzzle and developed an uncanny resemblance to Clemenceau. Do you think that would impact his payment limit?
-- pertinax, Feb 06 2019


Of course it will, but in a good way. He can extort massive reparations from the Germans under the Versailles treaty.
-- 8th of 7, Feb 06 2019


Our cat is chipped - does this mean I can "wave the pussy" to get train rides?
-- DenholmRicshaw, Feb 06 2019


You're more likely to get arrested - or, depending on where you are, accosted ...
-- 8th of 7, Feb 06 2019


This is the later, overlapping, idea I posted:

"Haptic feedback for contactless card transactions:

"When using a contactless card for payment or for access (e.g. for a mass-transit system) you sometimes do not hear the beep indicating that your transaction was successful. This idea is for the area of flooring in front of the card reader to incorporate a device to create a small, momentary vibration. The user will wave their card at the machine and, in addition to hearing the beep, will feel the small vibration coming through from the ground beneath their feet. This would be effective in noisy environments and also when walking briskly through mass-transit access gates. In terms of accessibility, this is a better solution for deaf users than what exists today."

[xenzag] suggested the name 'TapDance' for this technology
-- hippo, Dec 12 2023



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