Retail giant Shoprite on Wednesday revealed that it is testing an automated Checkers concept store with no cashiers, or till points." Checkers Rush is a "no queues, no checkout, no waiting" concept store, it said. "Using advanced AI camera technology to identify the products being taken off the shelves, Checkers Rush bills users' bank cards upon exit." The store is revealed in a promotional video for Shoprite X, the company's new digital innovation unit. The shop is available to staff at ShopriteX offices near the company's home office, above Checkers Hyper Brackenfell in Cape Town.

Objects made with 3D printing can be lighter, stronger, and more complex than those produced through traditional manufacturing methods. But several technical challenges must be overcome before 3D printing transforms the production of most devices. Commercially available printers generally offer only high-speed, high-precision, or high-quality materials. Rarely do they offer all three, limiting their usefulness as a manufacturing tool. Today, 3D printing is used mainly for prototyping and low-volume production of specialized parts.

The company is accomplishing this by pairing its multimaterial inkjet 3D printer with machine-vision and machine–learning systems.