The BBC reports that biometrics soon will be used to prevent underage smoking:

A Japanese company is developing a vending machine that counts wrinkles and skin sags to check a smoker’s age.

It plans to use face recognition technology to prevent anyone under the legal age of 20 buying cigarettes.

My first thought is that a mask is all it would take to fool the machine. But maybe it is smarter than that. Maybe kids will have to smoke ten times as many cigarettes to prematurely age their face so they can buy more cigarettes.

The company says the system gets it right in nine out of ten cases. The remaining 10% would be sent to a “grey zone for baby-faced adults” where they would be asked to insert their driving licence or identification card.

What better compliment to a lady than to have the smoking machine require a second form of identification? Maybe this will become a whole new form of vanity — test your age with the smoking machine to see if you can be prompted for your card.