Food & Culture
Introducing Amazon Go
The latest Amazon project is an actual grocery store, but one that promises no lines ever.
By Chelsea Lin December 5, 2016
The future is awesome. And terrifying. But mostly awesome.
Today in Amazon announcements, the local megacorp introduced us to Amazon Go, an 1800-square-foot brick-and-mortar grocery store at 2131 7th Ave, on the corner of 7th Avenue and Blanchard Street, that requires no checkout. You read that right: You simply use the app to scan in when you arrive at the store, grab your items and stash them away as if you’re shoplifting (you’ve got a great new excuse, criminals!) and walk out. You’ll be charged to your Amazon account and sent a receipt.
No lines! No waiting! No human interaction!
The video above tries to explain the technology—something about computer vision, deep learning algorithms, and sensor fusion, a combination they’ve named “just walk out” technology. It’s apparently the same idea behind self-driving cars.
Understandably, this store seems geared toward the young Amazon professional: Mostly ready-to-eat foods, pantry staples, and Amazon Meal Kits, which have the necessities for a quick home-cooked meal.
What excites us more is the rumored location of a drive-through grocery store in Ballard, a mysterious “Project X” that Amazon’s tight-lipped PR manager wouldn’t give us any info on (“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation,” she says).
When do we install the big sign on I-5 that reads “Amazon welcomes you to Seattle”?
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