Smart Self-Service Scales 279
Roland Piquepaille writes "German researchers have developed intelligent self-service scales for supermarkets, able to recognize fruit or vegetables placed on them (photo). The scales automatically recognize the item being weighed and ask the customer to choose between only those icons that are relevant, such as various kinds of tomatoes. The scales are equipped with a camera and an image evaluation algorithm that compares the image of the item on the scale with images stored in its database. Store managers can add items to the database. The scales are now being tested in about 300 supermarkets across Europe."
Oblig. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:A great idea but bound to be executed badly (Score:5, Funny)
I tried the self scan in a Delhaize in Belgium ... when you go to pay the girl takes everything out of the bag and scans it again. I don't quite see how doing something twice works out faster.
Re:A great idea but bound to be executed badly (Score:5, Funny)
Re:My first real world experience (Score:4, Funny)
My girlfriend... (Score:5, Funny)
My girlfriend unwittingly leaned across one of these scales to reach a bag of apples, whereupon the screen started showing pictures of different kinds of melons. Fairly accurate, I'd say.
Melons? (Score:5, Funny)
My girlfriend unwittingly leaned across one of these scales to reach a bag of apples, whereupon the screen started showing pictures of different kinds of melons
... You never removed the bar code from your inflatable life partner? :\
Doomed to Fail (Score:5, Funny)
My usual lunchtime shop has trouble reading BARCODES on half the stuff I buy. Swipe, nothing, swipe, nothing, swipe, nothing... Type in tiny number, beep. Yeah, that's time saving. And now I'm being told computers can tell the difference between tangerines and satsumas? Heck, I can't even do that!
I call shenanigans. Either:
* each vegetable has a secret RFID chip in it
or
* the picture is sent to some outsourced call centre where someone sits at a screen watching vegetables all day and clicking on what they are.
Self service discount (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Too bad.. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Twice the time, twice the frustration (Score:3, Funny)
that's definitely not 'redundant'.
Re:From me (Score:2, Funny)
My friend used to buy only onions. Coca-Cola onions, chicken onions, etc. Instead scanning the barcode he used to put them as loose items. The cheapest ones were onions. So he always had lots of receipts for several kinds of onions. Funny, illegal but saved him quite a lot of cash.
No he'll need to behave like proper citizen...
Re:I really hate self service scales.. (Score:3, Funny)
No offence, but if going to the supermarket is a social occasion, then you really need to get out more...
Re:Doomed to Fail (Score:5, Funny)
Re:From me (Score:4, Funny)
I can't stand these systems. I said TomAto. It said ToMato. Then I went and tried to get some PotAtos. It said poTato.
Then I just called the whole transaction off.
Re:I've envisioned something like a Tricorder (Score:3, Funny)
Re:A great idea but bound to be executed badly (Score:3, Funny)
OR ELSE!