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E-Mart’s self-driving shopping cart “Eli”

No more low-tech pushing is needed with the new self-driving shopping carts that follow the customer around. On Apr. 17, E-Mart revealed a new self-driving smart shopping cart at the Hanam, Gyeonggi Province branch of its warehouse-style discount chain Traders. The cart, dubbed "Eli," will be used to be conduct tests until the 20th. Pointing out Eli's many built-in features, E-Mart called it "a full-option robot cart that incorporates state-of-the-art information technology." At the end of March, Chung Yong-jin, vice chairman of the Shinsegae retail group, posted photos and a video showcasing the cart on his social networking account.

The Eli smart cart has functions that recognize the movements and voice of the customer and can either just follow the customer around at a suitable distance or help the customer browse items. The customer can also pay for purchases via the cart's built-in system, which includes a bar-code reader and a weight sensor to calculate amounts automatically. Eli even solves the inconvenience of returning items that the customer decides not to buy. When the customer is finished shopping, the cart returns to its recharging station on its own.

E-Mart says that the project to develop the smart cart was led by the digital research organization S-Lab, which has carried out a great deal of experimental work on innovative retail technology involving artificial intelligence (AI), robots, and futuristic retail-outlet design. Eli is one result of their work.

"In preparation for the the fourth-generation industrial revolution, E-Mart is researching digital innovations based on AI technology. We will continue to apply a broad range of information and communication technology to our retail stores to create a future digital shopping environment," said Hyung Tae-joon, the head of E-Mart's Strategy Division.

By Lee Jung-yeon, staff reporter

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