Instacart’s grocery ‘smart cart’ shows how it’s about more than just deliveries
The Caper Cart has sensors that can detect what you put in it, plus a touch screen and built-in payment system for self-checkout. | Image: Instacart Instacart gig workers have a smartphone app with scanning tools at their disposal to fulfill delivery orders - but what if regular shoppers could also use them? The grocery delivery service plans to get regular everyday shoppers into Connected Stores," where they'd use a rolling smart cart with built-in support for lists, order deli meats or baked goods, finding items, and self-checkout.
The star of the show is Instacart's upgraded Caper Cart," a smart cart that can detect what items in your list are placed in - based on computer vision and weight - and checks them off in your app. It's got a big touchscreen that syncs your grocery list from your app and an attached payment terminal so you can self-checkout without waiting to use a...