Shekel Brainweigh Ltd. and Hitachi unveiled Capsule, the world’s first framework for cost-effective autonomous micro-market solution based on Hitachi’s LiDAR sensors and Shekel’s Product Aware Shelves at NRF 2020 Vision (Retail’s Big Show). The two companies will showcase the first fully operational autonomous store in Shekel’s booth #5880 and Hitachi’s booth #5882 throughout the event. Capsule is a modular, integrated, cost-effective framework for autonomous micro-market that revolutionizes the way shoppers purchase items. It acts as an autonomous shopping solution, a perfect real time inventory management platform and privacy compliant LiDAR shopper tracking technology, all packed in an affordable end-to-end cost/effective solution. To enter, shoppers will be identified using a secured payment method and tracked while shopping by Hitachi’s proven LiDAR technology. Consumers can shop for any item in the store, which are registered with Shekel Product Aware shelves and management system that is automatically integrated to any retailer’s POS and leave the store without checking out through traditional self-checkout machines or via store cashiers. Since all administrative process are automated, such as calculating and paying for purchases, shoppers experience true frictionless shopping that streamlines their time in store. Hitachi’s 3D LiDAR technology enables low latency and bandwidth shopper tracking along his or her in-store journey in high resolution regardless of lighting conditions and without compromising privacy. Shekel’s Product Aware technology, based on IoT load sensors, embedded software and cloud based AI and Machine Learning, identifies products at industry’s highest accuracy standards. The first of its kind joint solution dramatically reduces theretailers’ total cost of ownership by making setup and ongoing operating costs affordable, improves accuracy and enables frictionless shopping for an enhanced customer experience. The first Capsule store is expected to be fully operational in first quarter 2020.