Talking credit card being developed

Santa Monica, CA, Apr. 22 (UPI) -- Credit cards that will only work when spoken to by their owners are being developed by Santa Monica, Calif., engineers, the New Scientist reported Thursday.

The prototype being designed by Beepcard Inc., requires users to give a spoken password that it authenticates using a built-in voice-recognition chip.

The card is the first attempt to pack a microphone, a loudspeaker, a battery and a voice-recognition chip into a standard-size credit card. The prototype is the normal width and length, but three times the thickness, and engineers are also grappling with durability and ruggedness issues.

To maximize the non-replaceable battery's life, the electronics are only switched on when the card is being used. Pressing a button on the card's surface prompts it to utter "Say your password" in a stern U.S.-accented female voice.