We’re getting closer to a future where we don’t ever have to talk to another human we don’t want to.
Amazon announced on Dec. 5 that it will open a grocery store in Seattle, Washington, in early 2017, where customers will be able to walk in, pick up they items they want to buy, and walk out. To achieve this, Amazon will launch an app called Amazon Go (also the name of the store) which hungry customers will use to register that they’re in the store.
Amazon says that through sensors, computer vision, and deep learning, it’s able to track customers as they move about the store, and automatically register which items get picked up. If customers change their mind about an item, they just have to put it back and Amazon will automatically remove it from their bill. All the prepared food (salads, sandwiches, etc.) is handmade, but is sold in boxes, which thankfully are not made of cardboard or held together with Amazon Prime tape.
