Mastering Science: Science of Shopping - Cameras and Software that Track our Shopping Behaviour!

Go into any grocery store and cameras may be watching you. These cameras are not looking for thieves, they're looking for shoppers! The cameras are focused on the tops of peoples' heads (so it's anonymous), but they don't have to see faces to track which store aisles get the most traffic and how long consumers spend looking over products. With support from the National Science Foundation, computer scientist and CEO of VideoMining Rajeev Sharma and his team have designed software that automatically generates statistics about in-store shopping behavior. These statistics can provide valuable insights for supporting critical decisions in store layout design, merchandising, marketing, and customer service. Sharma's team has developed similar technology to help caregivers monitor the elderly.