Amazon’s new grocery store, Amazon Go, recently to the public inSeattle, the United States after five years in development and 14 monthsof testing by Amazon employees.
Amazon Go isn’t just an ordinary grocery store, what sets it apart isthat it doesn’t have any cashiers or checkout lines. Instead, Amazonautomatically bills customers on their Amazon accounts based on theitems they’re carrying as they leave the store.
The store itself is only 1,800 square feet, around the size of aconvenience store, so you won’t be able to do your weekly shopping,unfortunately. Instead, the store acts more of a proof of concept forthe technology, which if successful could be quickly rolled out to morestores.
The company first unveiled its plans in December 2016, describing it tohave the potential to “dramatically alter brick-and-mortar retail.”During trials, there were problems when more than 20 people shopped atthe same time, but so far, it looks like those issues have been solved.
The store isn’t entirely free of staff though; there are still chefspreparing meals and employees replacing items on shelves, checking IDsat the liquor shelves or in case you run into difficulties with thetechnology.
How does this technology work?
First of all, before entering the store,you will have to download the Amazon Go app, which is available for bothIOS and Android devices. You can then scan the app through the entrancesturnstiles, pick up the items you want and leave the store. It’s as simple asthat.
According to Amazon, this is all made possible by their “Walk Out”technology, which incorporates three separate techniques – computervision, sensor fusion, and deep learning, which all work together torecognize what items you have picked up automatically.
With the sensor fusion technology, the sensors placed on the shelves candetect when an object has been taken or even put back on the shelf. Thevarious cameras throughout the store then use “computer vision” to seethe items that have been picked up by customers. The deep learningtechnology uses advanced pattern recognition to determine conclusionsfrom datasets.
What’s next for Amazon Go?
Amazon is yet to announce its plans for thefuture of the Go Store, but it’s unlikely they would have developed thetechnology for such a long time just for one store. Chances are theywill review the success and profitability and make any changes that needmay need to be made with the technology before any plans are made toexpand to more locations.
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