Roboshop! Self-checkout that even packs your bags
. . . AND ADDS UP THE BILL WHILE DOING IT
self-checkouts were designed to make life easier – but can lead from a quick shop into a major strop.
technology glitches and ‘unexpected items in the bagging area’ have left even the most mild-mannered customer seeing red at the tills.
Now a robot supermarket system being trialled across Japan is being hailed as the future of hassle-free shopping.
customers simply use a basket to collect their groceries, which all have small radio-frequency ID tags attached – before placing it on a checkout device.
A sliding bottom on the basket then opens and the contents are emptied into a chamber below – where they are scanned in one go and packed directly into a shopping bag for you.
the total bill is then displayed on a screen – leaving shoppers with nothing more to do except pay by cash or card in the same way as they would at a conventional self-service checkout.
the technology, known as Reji Robo, is being rolled out across Japan and most major stores are expected to have them by 2025.
Panasonic, which makes the system, claims it will reduce shopping times by 10 per cent and cut food waste by keeping a more accurate record of all purchases. this information can then be used to order only what is needed from suppliers. But there are fears the technology could leave supermarket workers on the shelf. self-service checkouts are already reducing the need for cashiers in thousands of stores across the uk. Amazon already has a similar system at its new grocery stores in seattle, which uses facial recognition software that allows shoppers to walk out with their groceries and sends a bill online.