Amazon has announced a new payment system for real-world shops which uses a simple wave of the hand.

Axar.az reports that its new Amazon One scanner registers an image of the user's palm, letting them pay by hovering their hand in mid-air "for about a second or so", it says.

The product will be trialled at two of Amazon's physical stores in Seattle.

But the company said it is "in active discussions with several potential customers" about rolling it out to other shops in the future.

"In most retail environments, Amazon One could become an alternate payment or loyalty card option with a device at the checkout counter next to a traditional point of sale system," it said.

Amazon also said the system could be used for "entering a location like a stadium" or scanning yourself into work instead of using an ID card.

"We believe Amazon One has broad applicability beyond our retail stores," it added.