According to the report, Amazon was preparing to introduce its automatic checkout technology to “full-size” supermarkets. This is an important milestone in the race to completely change the way people shop.
A planning document for a supermarket under construction in Brookfield, Connecticut, contains all the features of Amazon Fresh. The most important of these is the determination of 12 entrances and exits.
As well as racks on the ceiling for connecting cameras. So far, this setting has only appeared in Amazon Go convenience stores. Shoppers can enter these locations by swiping their smartphones at the entrance.
Inside, they are tracked by cameras, software algorithms, and shelf sensors. When the user walks to the exit, they can automatically check out.
Amazon seems to have solved a major technical challenge, creating a “ready-to-use” system that can handle dozens of shoppers at the same time and cover large supermarkets. Along with this, its construction and operating costs will not be prohibitively high.
If this breakthrough works, it will put Amazon ahead of the competition, which is testing similar camera-based technology developed by various startups. And the executives of these companies have admitted that it may take 1 to 2 years before they can install the cashier-less system in “full-size” supermarkets.
It requires to noticed out that the widespread adoption of automated checkout may trigger accusations from workers that Amazon is trying to eliminate cashiers that are one of the most common jobs in the United States.
Amazon said its goal is to facilitate shoppers, not to cut labor costs. Amazon says it has created thousands of grocery jobs since it launched its first fresh food store last year. Amazon also announced yesterday that it will increase its palm scanning payment system “Amazon One” to Seattle’s Whole Foods.
Amazon One allows shoppers to pay by placing their palms on the scanning device. When a shopper uses the system for the first time, they need to insert a credit card and connect it to the user’s palm. After that, the user only needs to place his hand on the scanning device to m
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