DC Velocity - February 2020

T H O U G H T L E A D E R S

Booth #7575

Is Your Application
Cushothane®
ULTRA-ES™
www.SuperiorTire.com 1.800.289.1456

Product photo is for representation only.

of them throughout the country
now. The way they work is, you
scan the Amazon Go app on your
phone to get into the store, which
resembles a traditional conve-
nience store. Then, you just walk
in, take whatever you want off
the shelves, and walk out. So, it is
different from the GH Lab. You’re
not actually using Amazon tech-
nology to arrange for something
to be shipped to your home;
you’re using Amazon technology
to pay for your purchases with-
out standing in line. It’s all done
electronically.

QThey use sensors and cameras to track your movements and track what products you’re taking, correct?

ARight. It is a combination of cam- eras in the ceiling as well as shelf sensors that monitor the weight of products on the shelves. So, they do that triangulation. They follow the product. They follow the gestures of the shoppers, and they know what they’ve taken by the time they leave the store. You exit the store, and you get a receipt pretty soon after leaving.

QSo obviously, that involves some technology. We’ve seen advances in artificial intelligence (AI) as well as the Internet of Things that allow products to communicate with inventory systems and with purchasing systems. What role will those technologies play in making sure that the store of the future operates the way it needs to?

A The AI side is incredibly import- ant in what we just described with Amazon Go. Essentially, the way that works is you have hundreds of cameras that are taking thousands, if not millions, of snapshots of products at any given point in time. It is through the use of AI that the cameras can become “smart” enough to recognize what is happening in the space.

Right now, there are a few limitations on the technology. One is simply the number of SKUs [stock-keeping units] it can identify. Another is how fast it can process the information.

So, AI is going to be incredibly important because as the machines get faster and better at understanding exactly what’s happening, the technology can be expanded to applications beyond just a 3,000-square-foot convenience store.