Japan's Cigarette Vending Machines Check Your Wrinkles
 Saturday, June 28th, 2008

This is so strange. The majority of Japan's 570,000 cigarette vending machines are being equipped with RFID readers that verify the purchaser's age by having them hold up their ID cards, and then using age-verification face cameras to check for things like aging and sagging skin. One problem: a reporter has confirmed that the machines can be fooled by something as simple as a magazine photo.

Wait, Japan has an age restriction on smoking? Apparently so - and it's 20 years old! Strange considering the country has one of the highest percentages of smokers in the entire world.

We think this whole idea was terrible. I get carded almost daily for cigarettes and certainly don't look 17; the machine would probably deny me and I'd have to break it. (Just kidding, don't do that.)

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