New face-scanning software may help Japanese vending machines decide who can buy cigarettes and who can't, Reuters reports. The system would look for wrinkles and saggy skin to identify customers over the legal smoking age of 20. As of July, vendors are on the hook for checking ID, and the new technology may stop teen smokers from using friends' proof of age.
"With face recognition, so long as you've got some change and you are an adult, you can buy cigarettes like before," says a rep for the manufacturer. (More Japan stories.)