Amazon just unveiled a grocery store without lines or checkout counters. Amazon Go, a 1800-square-foot retail space located in the company’s hometown of Seattle, lets shoppers just grab the items they want and leave; the order gets charged to their Amazon account afterwards.
Amazon Go works by using computer vision and sensors to detect what items you’re taking out of the store. You start by scanning an app as you enter the Amazon Go shop. You do your normal shopping, and the sensors throughout the store identify the items in your cart and charge them to your account when you walk out the door. It’ll feel like shoplifting, except you’re actually being watched by more cameras than you can imagine.
“I can’t wait to shoplift from this store.” – said every person without a moral compass.
Tech looks amazing. Idea has merit. For every checkout operator saved I’d be employing another security person to stand by the door though.
I’m sure they’ve done their sums based off self-serve checkout data and theft as they look to roll this out next year and apparently launch 2000 of them down the track.
Source: Amazon just launched a cashier-free convenience store – The Verge