BOWLING GREEN — The delivery robots at Bowling Green State University have a little competition in the technology grocery business.
The Market at Carillon Place near Centennial Hall is powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, meaning there is no waiting in a checkout line.
Students, staff, and the community at large can grab groceries, bag them or carry them, then walk out of the store, which is off East Wooster Street near the Greek Village.
“They come in, they scan, they grab whatever they want and just walk out,” said Jon Zachrich, director of marketing, communication, and technology at BGSU Dining. “The system tracks what they’re picking up. It uses a suite of sensors, of video — but it’s not like security camera video. It’s actually tracking the products.”
The items go into a virtual cart. If the customer removes something, that is also tracked and deleted from the cart.
During the Monday afternoon debut, students milled around the store entrance, downloading QR codes and registering their student dollars and credit cards.
Then they browsed the store, which is filled with cereal, soup, Goldfish crackers, candy, milk, bologna, and beef jerky. There’s also laundry detergent, paper towels, and cold medicine.
Jack Stander, a freshman business major from Milford, Mich., picked up a couple of Ramen noodle dinners.
“It’s just efficient,” he said. “I’ll probably get milk, and the usual groceries. They’ve got everything here.”
“We can get snacks, stuff to heat up, milk, water,” said Alex Neville, a freshman business major from Wadsworth, Ohio.
He said he had a little trouble downloading the QR code but is adjusting to the concept.
“It’s weird, not having someone check you out, but we’ll get used to it,” said Mr. Neville, who was purchasing a protein shake.
Yui Sou, a cinematography major, and Daisy Simpson, a prenursing major, were shopping for candy together. They are both freshmen from Columbus.
Ms. Sou said she appreciated the convenience.
“You can just go in, pay, walk out,” she said.
In a press release, the university said the technology is made possible by artificial intelligence like computer vision and deep learning techniques, including generative A.I., to accurately determine who took what. Amazon built synthetic datasets to mimic millions of realistic shopping scenarios — including variations in store format, lighting conditions, and even crowds of shoppers — to ensure accuracy in virtually any retail environment.
The Market at Carillon Place is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The public is welcome to shop.
Mr. Zachrich said prices are comparable to those at other convenience stores.
The “just walk out” store has been in the works for about a year at the university, which is a partner with Chartwells Higher Education.
“BGSU encourages us to work with them to find new, innovative ways, and new innovative technologies to bring onto campus,” Mr. Zachrich said. “Not only because it’s good for us, because we’re bringing innovation, but it’s also good for students because they’re exposed to innovation.”
The Starship robots, which deliver food and drinks on and off campus, complement the “just walk out” technology. The little white, six-wheeled machines have been rolling at BGSU since March, 2020.
Mr. Zachrich said the robots opened the door to the new grocery service.
“It definitely helped because it showed the university is willing to try new things,” he said.
A spokesman at Owens Community College in Perrysburg said the college does not have plans for this technology. The University of Toledo does not use Amazon’s service or a similar service at the on-campus dining market, a spokesman said.
The “just walk out” service, which is also at the Seattle Seahawks stadium and at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, may be available elsewhere on the Bowling Green State University campus in the future, Mr. Zachrich said.
“Depending on its success ... we could be expanding it,” he said. “But we’re excited to see where the technology takes us.”
First Published January 14, 2024, 4:00 p.m.
