[Huey]

(12-06-2016 04:19 PM)Dr. Howard Wrote:  

I can already see the shoplifting scams.

- sneak your stuff into someone else's bag before they walk out
- switch the RFID tags on the good products with the cheap products, pay for a pack of crackers, walk out with a steak sandwich
- masking/disrupting phones and near field communication while walking out

I think it will require security/loss prevention people and won't be devoid of humans entirely.

I doubt any of these scenarios will be possible because you're being tracked real-time from the moment you enter the store. From their FAQ:

Quote:

How does Amazon Go work?
Our checkout-free shopping experience is made possible by the same types of technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning. Our Just Walk Out technology automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When you’re done shopping, you can just leave the store. Shortly after, we’ll charge your Amazon account and send you a receipt.

So even if you manage to sneak something into someone else's bag before they walk out, the item will still technically be in your virtual cart, so it's a waste of time really.

Now that I think about it, you raise some valid points. I'd assume Amazon has already thought of precautions for scenarios like these, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see how hackers will take advantage of the system.