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Caper's smart shopping cart uses AI to skip checkout lines
From cashierless Amazon Go stores to Walmart's self-driving vans for food drop-offs, tech is revolutionizing grocery shopping with an emphasis on speed and convenience. Now a lesser-known startup is entering the fray with its AI-powered shopping carts that could put an end to bothersome checkout lines at your local store.
Whole Foods experimenting with Kinect-powered shopping carts that are smarter than you (video)
Here's a little secret Whole Foods doesn't like to advertise: they want, nay, demand, that a rather large percentage of residents near its highfalutin grocery stores have a college degree. Apparently you've gotta be smart to navigate its aisles crowded with over-priced organic wares and exotic condiments. Perhaps, though, the company has realized the error of its ways and wants to move in to new markets. That doesn't mean it trusts you and your high school diploma to decipher all those labels with difficult to pronounce words on them. A new experimental shopping cart is being tested by the market that puts a tablet and a Kinect in the driver's seat -- literally. Because you can't be expected to multi-task, the cart drives itself, monitors your shopping list and can even warn you if you grab the wrong item, thus protecting you from your own inability to avoid aggravating your peanut allergy. Check it out in action after the break.
iPad dock shopping cart keeps footie fans and their other halves happy
British football fans agree on very few things: how much everyone likes Jimmy Bullard, Arséne Wenger's need to buy a proper centre-half and how painful it is to be dragged out shopping just before kickoff on Saturday. It's those sympathetic and forward-thinking people at Sky who have the answer, at least to that last one. The company has teamed up with supermarket Sainsbury's (which has a track record of innovation) to trial a new trolley with a solar-powered iPad dock and speakers. Now you can watch the game, or anything else, via the Sky Go app on your device and get the grocery shopping done at the same time. Worried about getting so engrossed in Juan Mata's footwork that you'll be a danger to others? Rest easy, the cart has proximity sensors attached to let you know when you're about to sideswipe a pensioner. It's being trialled in the Cromwell Road Sainsbury's in West London -- all you need to try it yourself is an iPad, Sky Go access and a desire to be on the cutting edge of sports and technology. If the thought of shouting 'Taxi for Bent!' down the fruit aisle appeals, you can catch another pic and the press release after the break.
SK Telecom's Smart Cart syncs to phones, reminds you to buy milk
Familiar with this scenario? You put off grocery shopping until the weekend, curse your way through the irate Sunday morning hordes, and then schlep your food all the way home only to realize you forgot to buy dish soap and use those coupons. Good thing, then, that SK Telecom is trialing a new service that syncs items from a smartphone app -- like a shopping list -- to its tablet PC-equipped Smart Cart. Hailed by the company as the first of its kind, this real-time aide uses indoor positioning to provide product info, tips and discounts while you peruse those crowded aisles. The WiFi-connected in-cart display also makes use of augmented reality, offering coupon clippers a high-tech solution for their cost-cutting predilections. If the current pilot test in China's Shanghai Lotus Supermarkets proves a success, expect to see this "personalized smart shopping service" doling out recommendations based on purchase history and location. Hear that? That's the sound of marketers licking their hyper targeting chops. Full PR is after break.
Microsoft and MediaCart prepping self-checkout carts, with RFID, video and grocery lists for good measure
We've heard plenty of these initiatives before, but with the likes of Microsoft pushing the tech, it might not be too long before we're all pushing a super-connected shopping cart down the aisle. Microsoft's aQuantive acquisition last year has the company looking to new ad venues, and apparently shopping carts are one of those. Microsoft has been working with a company called MediaCart which builds a cart-mounted computer that helps consumers navigate the store, and then checks them out when they're done. Microsoft wants to bring video ads into the mix, and the companies will start testing out the carts in ShopRite markets in the second half of 2008. Shoppers can bring their list to the store with a swipe of their loyalty card, and RFID tracks their movements around the store to pinpoint advertisements and other useful information. That's a whole lot of tech coming soon to a bum near you.
Textual ads destined to hit shopping cart handles
As marketers continue to search for (and exploit) places in which you'd never think to find an ad, it makes sense to scroll a few plugs through an item that the vast majority of us spend at least a few hours per week touching. That item, dear friends, is the handle of the tried and true shopping cart, and apparently, Modstream is hoping to install bars with scrolling displays onto buggies and allow companies to beam in messages wirelessly. The system works by allowing outfits to access a web-based profile, enter in a given message, and transmit the ad to participating stores. As an added bonus, the setup enables said companies to change up their messages on a whim and keeps us shoppers guessing as to what clever line is coming next. Now, who's down with hacking this thing to scroll through our favorite RSS feeds?[Via Textually]
Another failed smart shopping cart concept shown off by EDS
At this point we've seen so many variations on the "smart shopping cart" concept bubble up and fail we're pretty jaded, but the latest version, from Electronic Data Systems, seems like it almost maybe has a chance. Unlike previous concepts, the EDS model is built around the humble bar code: swiping items as you place them in your cart lets you keep a running tally of nutritional information, ethical sourcing, and environmental impact, letting you modify your purchasing decisions simply and quickly. Keeping it simple might be the winning strategy here, but we're not going to be convinced until the carts at our local can do more than just veer straight left.[Via Vegetarian Organic Blog]
EMP cart locker stops shoppers in their tracks
Those looking to raise a little high-tech ruckus at the shopping mall may want to head over to Instructables, which now has step-by-step instructions for remotely manipulating the locking mechanism increasingly being used on shopping carts. Dubbed the EMP shopping cart locker, the elaborate device is unsurprisingly no easy feat, requiring some fairly elite DIY skills and a good chunk of cash (upwards of $150). Of course, there's also the small matter of the rather suspicious-looking nature of the device, which consists copious amounts of wire with a trigger on the end. Needless to say, the mall security guards likely be even less amused than the shoppers that suddenly find themselves stopped in their tracks, so proceed at your own risk.[Via Gadget Lab]
B.O.S.S. shopping cart follows you around
If you're scouting out colleges to showcase your robot crafting skills, make sure the University of Florida is given some very strong consideration. Fresh off of a second straight victory at the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition, the kids in Gainesville are flaunting another robotic creation that can make shopping a lot easier (and a lot safer). Gregory Garcia, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, developed a shopping cart that not only follows you around the store, but keeps a steady pace while cruising and throws on the brakes before clipping someone's heels. Garcia got the inspiration for the B.O.S.S. (Battery Operated Smart Servant) from his (presumably mischievous) little sister, who enjoyed ramming into his legs as a child while manning the buggy. A number of sensors aid the cart's maneuvering techniques, including a color sensor which allows the shopper to hold a piece of fabric behind them for the B.O.S.S. to keep track of -- it apparently accelerates and decelerates based on the speed and distance of the fabric ahead, and Garcia made quite certain that the shopping cart could stop on a dime in order to prevent those awkward heel injuries. While we're not sure how the cart would perform during the madness of holiday shopping, especially if it tried to follow every white (or green, or red) article of clothing around, but we're sure Gregory had a grand 'ole time finally showing that heel-biting cart who's boss.
