Yes, Amazon really built an actual convenience store. And it’s unlike any mini-mart set up in your neighborhood. Called Amazon Go, the brick-and-mortar store ditches the checkout line entirely, using AI and a variety of sensors to identify whatever you take from the store and automatically charge your account.
That’s right, Amazon built a store that works just like your kitchen, so you can grab anything off the shelf, dump it on your bag, and be on your merry way. No more queueing long lines, having each item scanned, and swiping your card at the register – the store can automatically identify anything you take and bill you all on its own.
When you first get to an Amazon Go location, all you need to do is sign in with the accompanying app. From there, you just grab anything you want from the shelves and leave when you’re done. Described as “the most advanced shopping technology,” the store uses computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning to accurately track everything you take, even going so far as to identify when you’ve decided to put an item back, so you won’t end up incorrectly billed.
The first store, situated in Seattle, consists of 1,800 square feet of retail space, with a layout not unlike most convenience stores, albeit without cash registers and store clerks standing behind them. As of now, the store is in beta and only available to Amazon employees, although once they fully-open, any customer with an Amazon account and a phone with the accompanying app can shop.
Learn more about Amazon Go from the official site.