Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
AMAZON UNVEILS SHOPPING CART THAT KNOWS WHAT YOU’RE BUYING
NEW YORK (AP) - Amazon has a new cure for long supermarket lines: a smart shopping cart. The grocery cart, which Amazon unveiled on Tuesday, uses cameras, sensors and a scale to automatically detect what shoppers drop in. It keeps a tally and then charges their Amazon account when they leave the store, no cashier needed. The cart, called Amazon Dash Cart, is the latest attempt by Amazon to shake up the supermarket industry and offer a solution to long checkout lines. Amazon’s cart will first show up at a new Los Angeles supermarket Amazon is opening later this year. The store will have cashiers, but Amazon said it wanted to give shoppers another option to bypass any lines.
NBC’S VIDEO SERVICE PEACOCK STRESSES ‘FREE,’ LOOKS TO 2021
UNDATED (AP) — Peacock, one of the last big new streaming services to launch in the U.S., was supposed to get a big boost from carrying the Olympics. The coronavirus pandemic delayed the Games to 2021, so that didn’t work out for Peacock’s owner, Comcast’s NBCUniversal. It’s launching with fewer original shows than expected because of Hollywood’s shutdown; it also won’t initially work with two popular TV-streaming gadgets, Roku or Amazon Fire. But Peacock is hoping that blaring “free” in an ad campaign for the service will entice viewers wary of adding yet another video subscription to their stack.
DEMAND FOR ROBOT COOKS RISES AS KITCHENS COMBAT COVID-19
HAYWARD, California (AP) — Robots that can flip burgers, make salads and even bake bread are in growing demand as virus-wary kitchens try to put some distance between workers and customers. Starting this fall, the White Castle burger chain will test a robot arm that can cook french fries and corn dogs. The robot, dubbed Flippy, is made by Pasadena, California-based Miso Robotics. Robot food service was a trend even before the coronavirus pandemic struck. Chowbotics, which makes a robot called Sally that makes salads, has been used by hospitals and universities to meet demand for fresh, customized options 24 hours a day. But Chowbotics and others say demand is booming as food service providers look for ways to limit interaction and keep workers and customers safe.
ETHIOPIA ENTERS 3RD WEEK OF INTERNET SHUTDOWN AFTER UNREST
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Ethiopia is entering its third week without internet service for almost everyone after days of deadly unrest. The government in Africa’s diplomatic and aviation hub has said it’s trying to prevent speech that could further inflame ethnic tensions. Monitoring group NetBlocks says some fixed-line internet has started to return but the more widespread mobile internet remains cut. The internet shutdown has damaged the economy in Africa’s second most populous nation as it struggles with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. It also has revived some fears of government repression.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
