Michigan State University Students Develop Smart Shopping Cart

By Edward Cardenas

EAST LANSING (CBS Detroit) - A "smart" grocery cart developed by a  multi-national team of Michigan State University students will be on display Friday at the college's Design Day.

The cart is one of more than 100 projects that will be on display in the Engineering Building for Design Day, and was developed by six students from Michigan, Minnesota, China and Saudi Arabia.

The "point-of-sale" grocery cart is intended to make "the shopping experience easier for consumers and less expensive for stores," according to the university.

With the new system, shoppers will be able to scan a product on their smart phone before placing it into the cart. When the shopping trip is complete, consumers can then use a smart phone to pay and avoid the long lines at grocery stores.

As a security measure, the system is equipped with a feature that confirms that the product scanned is the one placed in the cart. Additionally, there also is an alarm system that lets the store know if a buyer is leaving the premises with an un-scanned item.

The system can also recommend items to the shopper based on their purchasing history and offer incentives such as coupons for future purchases.