Brainless ATMs Are the Way of the Future

Shoppers at a mall in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this summer may encounter an unusual-looking automated teller machine: a tablet with no keyboard. It can dispense cash and display checking account balances—but compared with your typical bank ATM, it’s as dumb as a rock.

Released by NCR in April, the Cx110 doesn’t have much of a brain and instead relies on software and computing power sitting on remote servers. Machines such as the Cx110 will enable banks to roll out new services to consumers faster while sharply lowering operating costs, says Richard Crone, chief executive officer of Crone Consulting, which advises companies on payment systems. “It’s revolutionary for ATM deployers,” he says.