Walmart Patents Cart That Reads Your Pulse, Temperature (vice.com) 116
Walmart recently applied to patent biometric shopping handles that would track a shopper's heart rate, palm temperature, grip force, and walking speed. "The patent, titled 'System And Method For A Biometric Feedback Cart Handle' and published August 23, outlines a system where sensors in the cart send data to a server," reports Motherboard. "That server then notifies a store employee to check on individual customers." From the report: Over time, the server can build a database of data compared against store location and stress response, the patent says -- potentially valuable information for store planning. Other uses outlined in the patent include a pulse oximeter, for detecting when a customer's about to pass out, and a weight-triggered assisted push feature for propelling the cart itself. CBInsights suggests that these alerts could warn associates when several shoppers need help at the same time, or anticipate when arguments are about to break out.
Umm, how? (Score:5, Insightful)
Somebody explain to me with a straight face how Walmart can patent something that I've seen in use for a good 4.5 years now.
Re: Umm, how? (Score:1, Funny)
Because they are applying it to fat retards instead of gym goers, oh wait, prior art exists if you have been measured
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Faraday Gloves... That sounds like a good name for such an invention.
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If they are that concerned about their fat customers, make those scooters require proof that the customer is qualified to park in a handicap space. If they are not, then they get a cart or a basket and must walk through the aisles like any other able bodied person.
But no. Next thing these fuckers will focus on developing are Buy 'n Large hover chairs ala Wall-E instead.
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"(insert any existing patent here) on the Internet".
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Since they put the constraint of "handle of a shopping cart" in the claims.
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Your gym has shopping carts?
You are looking at it the wrong way. This is not for those who have access to gyms.
Walmart is providing health signs diagnostics to the homeless. A commendable effort.
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Seems more like Walmart is providing its security personnel earlier notification of potential threats.
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Seems more like Walmart is providing its security personnel earlier notification of potential threats.
I can't help but think there is probably some way that they plan to monetize this. Track customers, see what they get excited about as they roam the store, use that information to alter their displays and product selection to maximize revenue?
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Like I posted in the Alexa article earlier...
#WalkAwayFromTheseOrwellianFuckers
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Somebody explain to me with a straight face how Walmart can patent something that I've seen in use for a good 4.5 years now.
Because on computers is old, but this is "on a shopping cart".
"on a shopping cart AND with a computer"! Yet another innovative application! "on a shopping cart AND with a computer AND on a weekday!" (Patent lawyers discover untold realms of innovation available through Boolean expressions [patent pending])
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"on a shopping cart"
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Perhaps it uses the same tech as those BMI readers that can tell how fat you are without needing to weigh you.
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Somebody explain to me with a straight face how Walmart can patent something that I've seen in use for a good 4.5 years now.
"In a shopping cart."
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...where the shopping cart is painted white, or blue, or grey, or green. ...where the shopping cart has between 2 and 6 wheels. ...where the wheels are preferentially round. ...where the material of the wheels is one of: rubber, plastic, metal, wood. ...where the material of the wheels is one OR more of: rubber, plastic, metal, wood.
Re: Umm, how? (Score:1)
Try reading the claims of the patent (Score:2)
The abstract and title of a patent are not the claims of the patent. Just because the abstract or title do no include every constraint does not mean that the inventors are making claims without constraints.
FYI (Score:2)
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Fingerprints are next...
Fingerprints... that's tame... What about a shopping trolley that takes DNA samples... tests you for drugs... automatically informs authorities.
The most important thing to know about (Score:2)
Wal-Mart shopping carts is the location of the anti-bacterial wipes in the front of the store.
God only knows what the previous user of the cart did with it. Up to and including cooking meth...
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If stuff at walmart makes your heart race, you fully deserve whatever walmart does to you.
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If stuff at walmart makes your heart race, you fully deserve whatever walmart does to you.
I had a strange experience at a walmart once. I walked in and there was an attractive woman shopping there.
Can I patent shopping gloves? (Score:2)
Which are made with anti-microbial materials which also block thermal, pulse, and fingerprint readings on the bottom of my hands which are used to grip the shopping carts.
Just asking for a friend who is privacy and health concious.
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Stop resisting biometric monetization, citizen! Are you trying to force groceries to raise food prices beyond what poor single mothers are able to afford?! Please, think of the children, and let the shopping cart take a blood/saliva/stool/semen sample!
Realtime health insurance rate hikes (Score:2)
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Those creepy aliens who abduct people and shove probes up their asses? They are actually just doing cutting-edge research for what will become the future of retail.
And let me just say, I, for one, welcome our new alien-engineered, pulse and temperature-measuring shopping-cart overlords.
I've always wondered- what if most species in the galaxy speak from out of their rear end? Or if most species have their brains in their butts?
Aliens might just be sticking a voice recorder up there hoping you'll talk... or trying to do a brainscan to see if they find any intelligence. They must be really confused doing a brain scan and finding nothing but poop...
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Walmart Safety (Score:2)
Now Walmart will know where to position the fainting couches when shoppers get sticker shock, or see how long the lines are at the registers. I presume their legal derpment said it'd add no additional liability. The stores are always so understaffed I doubt anyone will be dispatched if anomalies are found, these things are going to have false positives all the time (like when they're wet from rain/snow, or a kid is in the cart). This is pure PR to send shoppers the message that they're safer at Walmart.
Battery powered (Score:2)
Sure, they patent it, but I don't think they will IMPLEMENT it.
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They will add a generator to the wheels. Resistance will be set according to your fitness.
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Solar power. Won't need much energy to test pulse and temperature- especially if it only does it once every time contact is established after contact lost.
The stores are lit and the parking lot is lit... and half the shoppers are lit.
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Wal-Mart needs to hire a skilled marching band sousaphone player for each scooter they have. And then when someone uses a scooter who is just fat and not actually disabled, they get followed around the store accompanied by this little ditty. [youtube.com]
Ridiculous (Score:1)
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What innovation is there? What new technology? Just a recombination of existing ones [...].
A recombination of existing technology is precisely something that should be (and is) patentable. Not that it's sufficient, it must still meet all the usual criteria of course.
And although it may be novel and non-obvious that some greedy bastard actually has the guts to record medical information (i.e pulse) for a purpose I personally would never consent, but I wouldn't bet on it. Using this information for store optimizations is also not novel, as that's what store owners did before we had computers too. E
Patent Office filed it under (Score:1)
"PHB Bullshit" ... and took the fee anyhow.
And the KGB thought it knew how to spy on people (Score:5, Insightful)
They have nothing on people with dollars in their eyes. Walmart just turned their stores into polygraphs that will monitor their customers physical response to advertising. Bravo. Even the Soviet Union couldn't find a way to pry out people's thoughts.
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What this really does is track those who take the cart off prem
Those devices already exist. [latimes.com] They lock the cart wheels as soon as a shopping cart is removed from the property.
Rather than stymie the homeless, however, this Fitbit-mabopper sounds like Wal-Mart is giving the homeless free fitness trackers. Not even my insurance does that. How's that for community outreach?
Sales sales sales (Score:5, Insightful)
They'll use it so they can correlate any perceived interest in a particular product and then manipulate things to try and get you to buy it.
"Hey, his heart rate and BP spiked when he saw the Chocolate Blammo cereal boxes on aisle 4, but he didn't grab any. Quick, send a text to his phone with a 10% off coupon for Chocolate Blammo."
Don't think for a moment that this isn't the ultimate goal of this "helpful" monitoring. I mean really, do you think Safeway or Kroger gives a shit about your blood oxygen level or heart rate except to use it to sell you more shit?
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Ding ding ding, that's exactly what this is for.
Sounds like Liability issues (Score:2)
Sounds like Liability issues lets say some has an hart attract and wallmart does nothing.
Re:Sounds like Liability issues (Score:5, Interesting)
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hart attract? Some kind of deer pheromone?
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but you guys do not seem to care much about [privacy].
Or they just care about convenience more.
Remember, this is the country that uses a public identifier (SSN) as authorization. Sure, the IRS tells you you must keep it secret, but good luck getting a bank account, work, etc. if you do that.
Given the lack of persistent public outcry that could fix that -- or real change after the many data breaches the last few years, I think it's safe to say that those who do care about privacy either have left the country already or are silenced by other means, such as pover
This is for their target demographic (Score:4, Insightful)
biometric data capture (Score:2)
Hmmm. Capturing biometric data to pair with exposure to various in-store simuli, retail displays, signage, check out lines etc. All in the guise of giving you some run-of-the-mill fitness feedback.
Because that is not creepy at all.
We will call it... wait for it.... Well Cart!
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This looks familiar... (Score:2)
A carriage provided by a huge retail corporation that monitors the health and needs of the customer? This seems familiar...
Oh yeah, it's version 0.01 of the Wall-E Hoverchair [racksburg.com].
Just as 1984 was never intended as an instruction manual for politicians, so neither was Wall-E for corporations. Neither are futures I want to live in.
Heart attack in aisle 3, cookies and candy (Score:1)
Update to Store associates. Possible heart attack has been downgraded to possible orgasm over the our fine selections of sugar products.
Check the staff, instead (Score:2)
I think it'd be more beneficial to put heart rate monitors and temperature probes on the store greeters to make sure they're still alive. Then, when they do die, they can quickly be replaced before any one notices.
Lycra monitoring! (Score:2)
Checks each shopper for the percentage of lycra worn vs body mass. Have too much of each, you're banned in the interests of public health
Yet another, fun reason ... (Score:2)
Hello Shopper, (Score:1)
"Your BMI of 32.5 is looking a little low. Why not head over to aisle 14 where you can find all the sugar-laden, empty calorie shit foods you know you want."
More creepy-as-fuck shit posted today (Score:2)
Also I'm so glad I never shop at Walmart.
Cart theft? (Score:2)
They already have lots of cart stolen, imagine the attraction of a cart containing all this technology!