HoverPay: Design and Implementation of an Ambient Touchless UPI Payment Platform

HoverPay is a prototype ambient touchless payment platform designed to eliminate the friction inherent in conventional UPI transactions. Rather than requiring users to unlock a device, open an application, and scan a QR code, HoverPay introduces an ambient clearance model in which Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, on-device hand gesture classification, and Zero-Knowledge cryptographic token issuance combine to settle a UPI transaction in under one second. This paper documents the motivation, system architecture, security model, hardware ecosystem, and roadmap of HoverPay, drawing on the deployed web prototype available at https://courageous-bublanina-8ae4b7.netlify.app. The platform targets Indian transit networks, university campuses, corporate hubs, and gated residential communities, and is designed for compatibility with the NPCI UPI Lite infrastructure and RBI compliance requirements.