With industries taking the digital route, only automating the processes for customers to avail services is something that should be left in the past. Helping customers make use of those automated services and still binding the benefits of the digital world to real world offerings is something that needs to be considered by businesses today. For example, a digital assistant to guide people on digital platforms is essential to allow customers the flexibility and convenience to experience a certain activity according to their preference and also get assistance when needed to get things done quickly and accurately. Addressing the elephant in the room, the way in which a service is provided has become crucial. With waves of technology hitting industry shores, digital customer experiences have found place in everyone's life.

German security and biometrics firm Secunet will equip Zurich Airport in Switzerland with its technologies to make the facility compliant with the European Entry/Exit System (EES). The company made the announcement in a blog post, saying the project is based on a 2021 framework agreement between Secunet and the Zurich Cantonal Police. According to Georg Hasse, head of International Sales within the Homeland Security Division at Secunet, the contract is worth over CHF43 million (roughly US$44.75 million) and will run for more than 12 years. The EES scheme will require third-country nationals to register with a facial image and four fingerprints to cross land, sea, and air borders in the Schengen area. The system is designed to increase security and help coordinate international efforts in verifying individuals' identities when traveling.

In today's uber-fast-paced digital world, restaurants are being pushed to deliver customer service that meets and exceeds customers' expectations. To help do just that, some operators are turning to self-service kiosks. And while many restaurants are aware of the labor-saving power of self-service kiosks and artificial intelligence, they may not be as aware that this technology can also be a sales-boosting tool by providing more personalized service for customers. What's more, they can help gather relevant consumer that gives operators the information they need to better grow their businesses. The latter is particularly important to today's customers, said Larry Fiel, vice president of marketing for PDQ POS, an all-in-one point-of-sale technology solutions provider located in Warminster, Pa.

Border control agencies are already using self-service kiosks to manage the crowds of international travelers entering their countries, but a high-tech type of kiosk in development can do more than just scan passports. The AVATAR--which stands for Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real-Time--can detect travelers trying to lie their way through customs, according to Vocativ. The self-service kiosks, created by the National Center for Border Security and Immigration at the University of Arizona in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security [PDF], scan travelers' passports and ask the kinds of questions posed by human agents, such as "Do you have any fruits or vegetables?" Sensors can identify body cues like facial expression, vocal tics, pupil dilation--and even cues that human agents can't see, like cardiorespiratory data--which could indicate that the person is lying and should be subject to additional screening. They can even see that you're curling your toes, according to a press statement from AVATAR researcher Aaron Elkins of San Diego State University, a professor who studies deception. The kiosks can be programmed to display several virtual agents, choosing from a woman or a man and a stern or a friendly face.

Former McDonald's USA CEO Ed Rensi has said it would be cheaper to hire robots to replace the company's staff than to pay them the 15 minimum wage that many are demanding in protests across the country. 'It's cheaper to buy a 35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee who's inefficient making 15 an hour bagging french fries,' Rensi told Fox Business Tuesday. He added that the demand to raise wages is'going to cause a job loss across this country like you're not going to believe.' Complaint: Ex-McDonald's USA CEO Ed Rensi (pictured) said that the company could buy'robotic arms' for less than it would cost to pay staff the 15 minimum wage that protesters are demanding Protests: McDonald's staff and their supporters went on strike (pictured) outside the Rock N Roll McDonald's in Chicago as well as protesting the McDonald's HQ in Oak Creek, Illinois. Fighting: The push for a 15 minimum began in 2012. As well as those in Chicago (pictured), the Oak Ridge protesters were setting up tents ahead of a McDonald's shareholder's meeting to occur tomorrow Rensi, who worked for McDonald's USA as president and CEO from 1991 to 1997, was talking to Maria Bartiromo, host of'Mornings With Maria,' ahead of protests Wednesday from employees demanding a 15 minimum wage.

People often ask me about the impact of 3D printing on jobs. Will the technology be a job creator or destroyer? The short answer is, it will take more jobs than it makes -- and 3D printing is not alone. Technology will eventually make work obsolete. Our big problems are going to be figuring out how to survive the transition, then figuring out what to do with all that free time. About 10 years ago, inventor, futurist and now Director of Engineering at Google Ray Kurzweil famously embraced the concept of "the singularity" -- that moment in time when machine intelligence surpasses our own. Kurzweil predicted the singularity would occur by 2045, and man and machine would become inseparable.