SEATTLE — More than a year after it introduced the concept, Amazon opened its artificial intelligence-powered Amazon Go store at 7th and Blanchard in downtown Seattle on Monday.
The store on the bottom floor of Amazon's headquarters billed itself as a grocery shopping for the future. It has no registers and no cashiers.
Shoppers have to download an "Amazon Go" app to scan to get in the door. Once they are inside, the store tracks what they buy through cameras and shelf sensors.
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Anything a shopper takes off the shelf is automatically added to their virtual cart, and anything put back is taken out of the cart.
Once shopping in finished, you just walk out the door and you will get a receipt in your app about 5 minutes later.
The system works by combining computer vision and machine learning algorithms and sensors.
The store is not without employees. There are people there making food, stocking shelves and helping customers. The store offers ready-to-eat breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks, as well as some grocery staples like bread, milk, cheese and chocolates. It'll also have Amazon Meal Kits.
Get a look inside the store in the video below or scroll down to continue reading.
I am live inside Amazon Go the first cashier-less store in Seattle! No lines, no checkout and you don’t need cash or credit cards ... just grab and go. You just need an app to scan your way through. KIRO 7 News
Posted by Patranya Bhoolsuwan on Monday, January 22, 2018
KIRO 7 talked to some of the shoppers who were among the first to experience the store and they seemed to like what they see.
"It will make it a lot quicker. The biggest reason you don't want to go to the store is waiting in line so it's pretty great," says Betty Paschke who lives in Seattle.
Tech expert Todd Bishop with Geekwire was also at the store Monday. He said the success of the store is yet to be seen and depends on how much the public is willing to let the business track their spending and accounts virtually.
"It basically treats people walking around a physical space exactly like people are tracked online currently," says Bishop.
Amazon Go had been open only to Amazon employees since December 2016 to test out the technology.
Amazon says currently, it has no plans to open up more stores like the Seattle location.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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