Israeli supermarket chain to roll out scan-free self-checkout ‘smart carts’ • NFCW

Customers at Machsanei Hashuk^[4] supermarkets across Israel will soon be able to select and place items they want to buy in a self-checkout “smart cart”, receive personalised recommendations, product information and promotions via an on-cart screen, and pay for their purchases without needing to scan them or use a checkout.

The Israeli retailer is rolling out a modular system that uses a combination of multiple high-precision cameras and machine learning algorithms to identify products as they are loaded or removed from the cart and to charge the customer for their purchases before leaving the store.

The self-checkout system has been developed by Tel Aviv-based technology provider WalkOut^[5] and can be retrofitted to existing shopping trolleys “without the need for significant changes on the part of the store”.

“WalkOut’s edge computing and machine-vision algorithms also curtail the need for costly on-cloud servers and high-bandwidth internet support,” WalkOut says.

“This use of single-sensor architecture and edge computing allows retail stores to operate a much more robust and cost-effective solution.

“Through a large touchscreen, the device also communicates with the customer to offer personalised recommendations, store navigation, supplementary product information