Triton ATMs Speak for Themselves

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Triton Systems Inc. has introduced an ATM with standard equipment that speaks to visually impaired customers.

The new 9700 Series, on display this week at a trade show in Anaheim, Calif., will be available in production quantities next month, the company said.

Large banks began using "talking ATMs" in the past couple of years, but the technology is new to machines at nonbank locations such as convenience stores and gas stations.

The Long Beach, Miss.-based company, a wholly owned operating division of Dover Corp., is a leading maker of retail ATMs.

Cash-dispensing machines have had to meet federal guidelines related to the Americans with Disabilities Act since 1992, primarily with Braille on ATM keypads and other controls. Because of technological advancements, those guidelines are being revised.

"We've designed the 9700 to meet the coming regulations and to set a new standard in the mid-tier, off-premise ATM market,'' said Ernest Burdette, Triton's president and chief executive.

Triton began working on the 9700 Series early last year. The system uses text-to-speech synthesis software that provides audible instructions to the user.