Walmart Patents Shopping Cart Biometrics Handle to Monitor Customer Health

cageymaru

cageymaru

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Walmart has patented a shopping cart with a biometrics sensor equipped in the handle. A server will be able to monitor a customer's baseline readings, from their current readings, in real-time to find out if a customer needs an associate to check on them. Biometric data that can be monitored include body temperature, pulse, cart movement, and squeezing pressure applied to the shopping cart handle. If the server determines that the customer needs assistance, an associate will be dispatched to assist them at that time. The system can also determine if certain songs played over the intercom make customers more excitable, certain associates affect the health of customers, or too many customers congregating in a particular spot due to a smell, customer dispute, or spill. It can even detect multiple customers using the same cart and track them individually with accuracy. It even has the ability to track weight loss, health monitoring, stress level, and how far a customer has walked if they wish to use a smartphone with the Walmart shopping cart biometrics system. Here is the full patent with illustrations.

It is noted that the biometric data and cart movement data collected is not tied to or linked to the identity of the shopper. When the customer is finished shopping, the cart can determine that the shopping experience has ended based on factors such as the cart no longer moving, the lack of force being applied to the handle, the weight of the cart, the cart location, etc. At the same time the server can identify that the cart has entered a sleep mode and delete any correlation between the table of the customer's biometric data and the specific cart used.
 
Greaaaaaaaaaat. Now I need to bring a damn pool noodle to put over the cart handle bar to stop the sensors from tracking my biometrics.

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I hope they just patent it and don't deploy it. Or I already tend to avoid the plastic handle and grab steel parts, even more likely to do that if there are sensors.
 
singe_101 said:
I hope they just patent it and don't deploy it. Or I already tend to avoid the plastic handle and grab steel parts, even more likely to do that if there are sensors.
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Please look at the illustrations in the patent that I linked at the end of the story. :)
 
I wonder how much it'll cost them, and if they'll be able to track down hobos that steal them.

Also, seems like it's time to stop using carts at wal-mart and stick wtih hand baskets.
 
Spidey329 said:
Riiiight. How many people keel over in a store to warrant making this technology?

I bet this is advertising / marketing based.
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It is advertising/marketing based. The "alerts" is just an excuse. They'll monitor your info to findo ut how you react to music, how stressed you are in certain aisles, etc.

It's how to better setup their store so you stay in there longer.
 
scojer said:
It is advertising/marketing based. The "alerts" is just an excuse. They'll monitor your info to findo ut how you react to music, how stressed you are in certain aisles, etc.

It's how to better setup their store so you stay in there longer.
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That’s exactly right.
 
This whole hard-on for data data data and more data is really getting out of hand. I honestly just don't see it being that useful.

It isn't hard to figure out your average stupid american consumer. They like to buy worthless cheap shit from China until their garage explodes and they have to park their cars on the street... Then it overloads and they need to buy external storage from a storage facility.

I guarantee if you just use standard marketing instead of all this data driven blabbering BS that you would come out way more ahead without the stupidity of all these implementation costs.
 
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Cyraxx said:
This whole hard-on for data data data and more data is really getting out of hand. I honestly just don't see it being that useful.

It isn't hard to figure out your average stupid american consumer. They like to buy worthless cheap shit from China until their garage explodes and they have to park their cars on the street... Then it overloads and they need to buy external storage from a storage facility.

I guarantee if you just use standard marketing instead of all this data driven blabbering BS that you would come out way more ahead without the stupidity of all these implementation costs.
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But there's selling cheap shit and then there's Rent-a-Center and an incredible profit from renting out some furniture or electronics. It happens with cars and repo'ing them as well. Or mostly empty fitness centers but lots of memberships.
 
In Albert Brooks' novel 2030, older people have advanced biometric scanners built into refrigerators so that their medical service providers can get a read on them just by the person putting his or her hand flat against the door. That limited purpose use made sense.

This is just really creepy and invasive.
 
well I've got ecg+ppg plus blood pressure monitor built into my cheapo chinese watch, seems to be quiet accurate according to my checking with certified medical devices.
 
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singe_101 said:
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But there's selling cheap shit and then there's Rent-a-Center and an incredible profit from renting out some furniture or electronics. It happens with cars and repo'ing them as well. Or mostly empty fitness centers but lots of memberships.
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And? At the end of the day a fool and their money are soon parted. The only difference that can be made is who takes it.
 
sfsuphysics said:
and the first lawsuits for invasion of privacy by collecting medical information of someone who does not implicitly consent to it... and simply using the shopping carts because some EULA was posted at the front door does not imply consent.
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This. Implied consent can't be used with health information, anonymous or not. It must be explicit.
 
Cyraxx said:
And? At the end of the day a fool and their money are soon parted. The only difference that can be made is who takes it.
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Target also wants customer data, not just lots of cash sales. Cartwheel and shit. Walmart is much bigger than Target but they also find data useful. You just don't see it being that useful.
 
scojer said:
It is advertising/marketing based. The "alerts" is just an excuse. They'll monitor your info to findo ut how you react to music, how stressed you are in certain aisles, etc.

It's how to better setup their store so you stay in there longer.
Click to expand...


That was my take on it as well, I assume the system would include an interior location tracking system for the cart.
 
Spidey329 said:
Riiiight. How many people keel over in a store to warrant making this technology?

I bet this is advertising / marketing based.
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Where they need to deploy this is on the electric scooters. If anyone is going to die inside the store, it will be one of them as they struggle to reach the nuclear apocalypse sized cheese puffs on the top shelf.
 
Will it also monitor the fact that every shopping cart in Walmart is broken? The cart collectors make lines of carts 30 feet long like a damn train, the entire frame of every cart eventually gets twisted.
 
singe_101 said:
I hope they just patent it and don't deploy it. Or I already tend to avoid the plastic handle and grab steel parts, even more likely to do that if there are sensors.
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ITs an invalid patent. Exercise machines have had this for decades. It will get destroyed on review by 'prior art'
 
Judging by the average size of your typical WalMart shopper, I expect their response team will be very busy at first - that is, until they get a good baseline read of their customers. :D
 
i am wondering.. what will be the straw that breaks the camels back on monitoring everything about everyone, and we regain some sense of it all.
 
travisty said:
woohoo for pointless patents!

Smartphones will be able to do this better, faster, and cheaper anywhere soon enough. No need for shopping carts to do it.
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But the phone tracking data while shopping in Walmart goes to Amazon and other competitors. Cart datawill be all Walmart's except for selling parts of it to Pepsi or other companies.
 
You don't need a shopping cart handle to observe people.
I do push carts on occasion
 
twonunpackmule said:
It's to track blood sugar to sell you Oreos.
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The cream filing in the special commemorative Disney anniversary Oreos tastes quite a bit like cake icing.

My local supermarket had buy one get one along with dollar off coupons...

Aix. said:
So if you've never been to Walmart, and they destroyed all your local businesses, where do you go?
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Used to be the Sears catalog. Pepperidge Farm remembers. This person probably now shops at the other giant retail destroying monster, Amazon.
 
Nukester said:
I doubt people who regularly shop walmart care much about their health.
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Shall we call you "...Thomas"?

There are healthy people that shop at Walmart. The shop there for healthy things. I bought my bar bell set at Walmart, wife shops for groceries there sometimes, says their vegetables are fresher and better than other places in town. I suppose that makes her a regular shopper at Walmart. She also used to shop at Target but we've found that almost everything she has ever bought at Target she can get better and or cheaper at Walmart.

That being said, I do see a great deal of unhealthy looking Walmart shoppers. I think it's more to do with their chosen life styles and less to do with where they shop.
 
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