Theme park microchip wristbands carry ability of a debit card

Theme park microchip wristbands carry ability of a debit card:

"Theme park microchip wristbands carry ability of a debit card
Hugo Martin
The Los Angeles Times
May 26, 2009

In a nondescript manufacturing plant on a quiet San Fernando cul-de-sac, a khaki-green machine the size of two pool tables end to end sucks in bright pink ribbon and spits out one of the hottest fashions in theme parks.

Here, in the northern stretches of suburban Los Angeles, the private company that began producing plastic hospital wristbands out of a Burbank garage more than 50 years ago has become the nation’s top producer of a new microchip-enhanced wristband for amusement parks, concerts, resorts and gyms.

The wristbands use the same technology as electronic toll booths, security key cards and the newest U.S. passports. But at Precision Dynamics Corp., this sophisticated electronic know-how has found its niche at theme parks, where the high-tech wristbands act as high-security admission passes, cashless debit cards, hotel room keys and a form of identification to reunite lost children with parents."