Zippin is trying to make autonomous, cashierless stores the new standard using cameras and AI.
Amazon introduced the concept of checkout-free grocery stores when it opened its first Amazon Go store in Seattle in February. Now San Francisco start-up Zippin is trying to bring that experience to everyone.
Co-founder and CEO Krishna Motukuri said Americans spend more than 100 hours a year standing in lines. And he wants to change that. To shop in a store with Zippin's technology installed, you download an app and scan it when you enter the store. After that, you're free to pick up whatever you want and then simply walk out.
Zippin uses a combination of overhead cameras and sensors on its shelves, along with its AI-driven software, to follow your every move and keep track of everything you grab off the shelves, using sensors. If someone tried to steal something, they would still get charged for the item.