[Shopping future?] Amazon just launched a cashier-free convenience store [grab and go]

[Hamartia Antidote]

http://www.theverge.com/2016/12/5/13842592/amazon-go-new-cashier-less-convenience-store

No lines, no registers, no self-checkout machines


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.

The shop will stock most items you’d find in a local convenience store: snacks, drinks, premade food like salads and sandwiches, and grocery essentials like bread and milk. It’ll also sell Blue Apron-like meal kits that let you cook your own dinners for two.

On the consumer level, the benefits are obvious — no waiting in line or fussing around with self-checking machines. But for Amazon, the company could potentially track you and your phone as you browse the store to track items you buy. By looking at your movements in the store as you shop, Amazon could analyze items you may have noticed or were potentially interested in buying (i.e., picking something up off a shelf and putting it back down.) Combine this with your Amazon.com browsing activities and the company could gear up to serve even more recommended products wherever you’re online.

Though Amazon Go does do away with human cashiers, we haven’t seen anything about robots physically stocking the store, so while it does eliminate some jobs, it’s not a completely automated system... at least, not yet.

The store is currently open in beta to Amazon employees only. A public opening is scheduled for early 2017.

 

[WhyCry]

Nice... Not sure if this is a mockery but if it isn't then its going make humongous improvement.

 

[livingdead]

just saw a bbc report on this, barclay's card chief telling the vision of shopping in future... did not realize the technology is already available..

 

[SherDil]

Would it not be amazing to simply walk into a store, pick up the things you need and just leave? No, we are not talking about stealing!

We are talking about a new service called Amazon Go, that allows you to do exactly that.

Amazon Go
The online ecommerce giant has launched Amazon Go, which is a brick-and-mortar store. It allows the customers to walk out of the stores without wasting times in queues and instead have the items automatically billed to their Amazon accounts.

Using the Amazon Go application, the customers can enter the store to initiate their shopping session. Anything the customer picks up during the time period is added to the cart.

The application itself assesses what products have been picked up by the customer, rather than the customer manually entering the product ID or scanning it.

Amazon have named this technology as “Just Walk Out” technology. It is a combination of sensor fusion, computer vision, and deep learning algorithm to allow the store to track the items you pick up and walk out with.

Here’s how it all works:

The company’s promotional video states:

“It automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When you’re done shopping, you can just leave the store. Shortly after, we’ll charge your Amazon account and send you a receipt.”

Is It Open For Everyone Now?
According to an Amazon staff member, the store at 2131 Seventh Avenue, on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Blanchard Street in downtown Seattle is currently only available to Amazon employees while it’s being tested, but will open to the public in early 2017.

No further information regarding expansion in other countries or continents has been made available either.

Freakishly Scary Technology
Dr. Pedro Domingos, a University of Washington professor of computer science and engineering, assessed the Amazon Go technology and his remarks may leave you looking over your shoulder.

According to Pedro, the system deployed inside the Amazon Go is constantly learning what the people are buying. It does this by watching them through cameras and following them round the store.

He said that machine learning has crossed all boundaries and the hardware on these stores can learn very rapidly now.

“They can learn all sorts of things,” Domingos said. “Her facial expressions as she’s looking at the shelves, right? There’s computer vision, machine-learning algorithms that can understand what emotions you’re feeling from your facial expressions. They’ll actually be able to look at her and like, what she’s thinking when she’s looking at one of the cupcakes. You know, does she scrunch up her face?”

He also added that through this system, shoplifting is impossible as the customers have to be identified via the application upon their arrival in the store.

For more information, you can check out the Amazon Go website.

Source: https://propakistani.pk/2016/12/06/amazon-introduces-new-revolutionary-way-buying-products/

@war&peace @GreenFalcon @Moonlight @Doordie

 

[.]

Amazon is Great,A book costing <2000RS in India costs you 8000 in Pakistan.
Now that's super fantastic,Not to mention we don't have amazon.