I can only imagine that it is part of the Japanese constitution that anything that can be automated must be automated. This is a country obsessed with dancing robots after all:
Anyway, they decided it would be good to offer an age restricted product (cigarettes) in a vending machine, using a camera that analyzes the consumer’s face to determine age. Sounds great an all, but unfortunately, it is fooled by pictures of faces in magazines or on paper money (which then might as well be used to purchase said cigarettes).
To my underage friends, I highly recommend that you try this out for yourselves. Go to a liquor store or a bar. When they ask for ID, pull out a page from a magazine article or a bill and hold it in front of your face. See if this works and report back to me. The size of the bill, and whether you get to keep it may influence the success rate.
