Another article on the interactive display kiosk envisioned by intel.
Source : New York Times .
Shop display kiosk of the future : Intel's vision
SALES clerks still ask customers, “May I help you?” on the floors of many department stores, but some shoppers may soon choose to be served instead by a computer kiosk with clever software.
The new kiosks aren’t the stodgy kind that have long dispensed boarding passes, train tickets and family snapshots. Instead, they have sleek lines and large touch screens — as well as software that, depending on the application, can recognize customers, know what they’ve bought in the past, point out bargains and even let them try out virtual clothing, hair colors and cosmetics onscreen.
Many of these kiosks will serve as automated checkout counters, but will offer much more personalized information than those now in use. Others, like those for cosmetics departments, will let customers create the looks they want.
Intel has built three prototypes of kiosks that may find a place on the floors of department stores. But customers who walk up to them won’t see the usual sales counter with its bar-code reader, cash drawer and credit-card pad — and they won’t necessarily see a sales associate.
Instead, they will find a tall screen at eye level and another screen embedded in the counter. When they flash a card — perhaps one similar to those now offered by many drugstores and grocery chains — the kiosk recognizes them. “Greetings, Mr. Smith,” it might say, before presenting the latest specials and promotions for products, including ones that might go well with what Mr. Smith is already buying.
(Some kiosks may also have an additional screen for sales associates to assist customers.)
Scan in a blazer by passing its price tag across a screen, and it may then recommend several styles of pants and shirts to go with it, along with prices and possible discounts.
The kiosks can give customers a depth of detail — whether product specifications or customer reviews — comparable to what they can find in shopping on the Internet, said Joe Jensen, general manager of the embedded-computing division of Intel in Chandler, Ariz.
