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Amazon Go

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Re: Amazon Go

#111

Post by quadrature »

tdaltonc wrote: post #55

Is the basic idea that there are cameras everywhere and they watch and record everything you touch? Now I can't stop thinking about the behavioral analytics. Can they get rough pupil dilation data? I'm sure they can get facial expressions and maybe gaze tracking. Next step is using kiva bots to rearrange/restock the isles when no one is looking.

My guess is that its a mixture of indoor position tracking of your phone and infrared/computer vision for the products that detect a product being taken.

Re: Amazon Go

#113

Post by TulliusCicero »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #22

My first thought is: I don't have a supported smartphone. The current checkout process entails the acceptance of common legal tender, but this process will require I have their app, and presumably allow it quite a bit of tracking permission. A cool demo, sure, but I think I'll stick to shopping like the normal folks.

The left-wing viewpoint on this is going to be that it's an economy that increasingly works against low-income/homeless people (who are less likely to own a smartphone or always have it charged and on them). Sure when it's a one-off, no big deal, but if it lets a store have lower prices and provide a better customer experience, then more and more stores will adopt it.

Re: Amazon Go

#116

Post by [deleted] »

leesalminen wrote: post #65
bbrks wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the UK, Tesco have been running a 'Scan as you Shop'[0] thing for a couple of years now. Customers pick up a scanner as they enter, scan their items as they go into their cart, and they have special checkouts which read your scanner. There's a random chance that your scanner will be audited by a human against the contents of your shopping cart. Usually the first time you use it, then it backs off. [0] http://www.t…

Stop & Shop in the NE US released this in ~2006

[deleted]

Re: Amazon Go

#117

Post by giarc »

bluelu wrote: post #81

Maybe they also weight you when enter and leave the store. They can then cross check your weight with the weight of the items you have bought.

I can't tell if your comment is tongue in cheek or not, but I highly doubt they will make people weigh themselves when they walk in. If they aren't confident in their image recognition technology they would improve it rather than throw in an additional method of tracking.

Re: Amazon Go

#118

Post by 20tibbygt06 »

What happens when parents walk in with kids? Does little Bobby need his own account for everything he's going to touch and pickup?

What if I walk in with a friend on our way to somewhere else and they don't have an account and I'm just getting something quick, do they not get in and wait outside? Everybody in the video was just one person or all had an account/phone.

Overall, I hope this works and expands. Checkout lines can be a hassle at times.

Re: Amazon Go

#119

Post by the_duke »

jerf wrote: post #83
the_duke wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you eat lot's of unhealthy stuff? While we are covering your high blood pressure medication? Well, I guess we'll just increase your rates then...

That's no change. Between customer loyalty cards and the easy ability to tie purchases to credit cards, if they wanted to do that they already could. I'm not sure it buys them anything, though. That's a very noisy signal against the loud-and-clear signal of what the measurements say when you come in to the doctor. Who cares what your shopping habits say when you come in with high blood pressure and morbid obesity, or…

Of course they would have the money, but things work fine for them right now.

And they are not technology companies.

I agree with you, a lot of that data would already be available. The question is how much more willing Amazon would be to sell the data, compared to supermarket chains. Probably it's not difference.

I was just extrapolating what the OP meant.

I personally would really love shopping like that.

Re: Amazon Go

#120

Post by gech »

jtcond13 wrote: post #100

Your periodic reminder that 'retail salesperson' is the most common job in America (~4.5 million). http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/04/the-10-m...

It's just a starter job, people shouldn't rely on them as a career, it's their fault, bootstraps, etc. etc.
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