Virtual Shopping Cart Verification Using Rack Camera Video
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional shopping sessions in physical stores are inefficient, with customers spending significant time waiting in line to pay and cashiers often being idle outside of peak hours.
Innovation Solution
A virtual store tool that generates a virtual store to emulate a physical store, using camera feeds to track customers and create a virtual shopping cart, allowing for automated checkout and reducing the need for physical cashiers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If traditional cashier-based checkout is used, then customers can pay for items, but customers spend excessive time waiting in line
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables customers to perform checkout independently through automated algorithms that track items in virtual shopping carts using camera feeds and sensor data, eliminating the need for cashiers to manually process each transaction and significantly reducing customer waiting time
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously tracks customer movements and automatically populates virtual shopping carts with items customers pick up during their shopping session, performing the checkout preparation work in advance so that payment processing is expedited when customers reach the checkout point
2Ease of operation
If cashiers are present in the store, then customers can be served, but cashiers are idle during non-peak hours
Solution Approach 1:
The automated checkout system allows customers to serve themselves by having the system automatically track their selected items and process payments, eliminating the need for cashiers to be physically present and reducing their idle time while maintaining continuous customer service availability
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual shopping cart system and automated tracking algorithms provide universal checkout capability that operates continuously without requiring human cashiers, allowing the same system to handle varying customer volumes during different time periods without loss of service quality
3Productivity
If automated algorithms determine items selected, then checkout efficiency improves, but verification is needed to ensure accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multiple camera feeds and sensor inputs to continuously monitor customer actions and provide feedback to the algorithm, allowing real-time verification of item selections and automatic correction of any detection errors while maintaining high processing speed
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual shopping cart acts as an intermediary between the physical shopping environment and the automated checkout system, storing and managing item selections while allowing verification through multiple data sources before finalizing transactions
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a display and a processor. The processor displays a virtual shopping cart. The processor also receives information indicating that an algorithm determined that a physical item was selected by a person during a shopping session in a physical store, based on a set of inputs received from sensors located within the store. In response, the processor displays a virtual item, which includes a graphical representation of the physical item. The processor additionally displays a rack video captured during the shopping session by a rack camera located in the store. The rack camera is directed at a physical rack located in the store, which includes the physical item. In response to displaying the rack video, the processor receives information identifying the virtual item, where the rack video depicts that the person selected the physical item. The processor then stores the virtual item in the virtual shopping cart.