- The Seattle-based company’s Just Walk Out system will use AI with input from different sources and considers them simultaneously
- The system’s use of RFID is more geared to bigger crowds, such as those in stadiums and arenas
Amazon is revamping is its frictionless checkout system, Just Walk Out, by using artificial intelligence (AI) and RFID.
Amazon officials detailed a new version relying on AI they believe will lead to faster receipts for customers, more accurate results about shopper’s choices and lower costs to businesses owners using the system.
Introduced eight years ago, Just Walk Out uses a network of cameras, sensors and machine learning algorithms to keep track of what shopper’s plan to leave the store with. While the Seattle-based company recently removed the technology from its Fresh grocery stores, it is being used at stadiums, airports and other businesses.
New AI Model
Earlier versions of Just Walk Out relied on several different AI models sharing information with one another—did someone’s hand reach for a product? did the image of the product in their hand match what the AI model believed should be there? how many items did the shopper pick up? The new model smashes all of that into one system to provide make decisions faster and more accurately, said Jon Jenkins, vice president of Amazon’s Just Walk Out team.
The new model takes input from different sources and considers them simultaneously—including videos of the shopper, images of the products, a 3D map of the store that tells the model what item should be where and sensors on shelves that calculate the weight difference after a customer picks an item up, according to company officials.
“AI is getting good enough that it can reason about all of these things at the exact same time,” said Jenkins in a story published in the Seattle Times. “It does it by taking all these sort of inputs, acting on them simultaneously and spitting out a receipt in one fell swoop, which is a big advancement from where we were before.”
Revamping Just Walk Out
The new AI model comes after Amazon announced in April that it would remove its cashierless technology from its Fresh grocery stores for Just Walk Out for Dash smart carts. Instead, it committed to doubling the number of third-party vendors using the Just Walk Out technology to 240 by the end of the year with 170 already signed up. The move signals Amazon pivoting the technology as an offering for third-party customers, similar to its cloud and AI services in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) division.
Recently moved to the company’s AWS unit, the Just Walk Out team operates independently of Amazon’s retail offerings. The team was not involved in the decision to remove the technology from Fresh and treats Amazon Go convenience stores and Whole Foods Market the same way it would treat third-party vendors.
Jenkins said there is an “iron clad” wall between the Just Walk Out team and the retail division.
Tailored to Users
Amazon is transitioning its new AI model to all vendors that use the technology, but would not specify how much faster the new model would process receipts or how much money it would save businesses buying the technology. Jenkins noted those answers are store-dependent, citing issues such as locations with high ceilings could install cameras with a wide-ranging viewpoint. But a store that has a rush of customers might need several cameras to differentiate between shoppers.
Using one type of AI model for different store formats allows Amazon to avoid building a model that is too specific and ends up being less accurate, he stated.
The new AI model relies heavily on edge computing rather than sending it all to the cloud. Amazon said it installs edge computing devices in the stores, tucking them away in a closet or backroom to keep the model humming as efficiently as possible.
RFID Uses
Last year, Amazon quietly launched another type of checkout-less system that relies on RFID tags. In stores with Just Walk Out technology, shoppers swipe a credit card or log into their Amazon account when they enter. But with the RFID system, customers only enter their payment information when they are leaving. They then walk out with the item, no scanning necessary. The tech connects the information from the tag to the shopper.
But the RFID tag system doesn’t work for all items—it wouldn’t make sense to attach a tag with a QR code and a chip inside to an apple; it is useful for apparel and items that don’t have a defined shape and would be difficult to identify by camera.
Amazon tested the RFID system in Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle in April 2023 and officially launched the system at Lumen Field later that year. It’s now in five stadiums around the country.