AI Connectivity Robotics and Data in Self-Service Revolution

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AI, Connectivity, Robotics In Self-Service

It would hardly be an overstatement to say that artificial intelligence computing, in combination with more powerful connectivity, robotics and an explosion of data, has jump-started innovation in most industries.

Elliot Maras has written about technology for 30+ years.

For the self-service industry, the technology has unleashed opportunities to boost customer experiences, oftentimes in a more economical manner. Such advancements have fostered more versatile payments, more centralized data management, more robotic equipment, and more dynamic data analytics that improve customer insights.

Recent interviews with self-service industry tech experts by KioskIndustry.org confirmed that such innovations in AI, Connectivity, Robotics, and Data in Self-Service continue to expand rapidly.

Gower Smith with Shin Starr

Gower Smith, partner and chief product officer at Shin Starr, a South Korea-based provider of AI-enabled automation technology, sees a significant opportunity for self-service to disrupt the multi-trillion-dollar restaurant industry.

Leveraging its California restaurant brand OLHSO, Shin Starr recently introduced a fully automated robotic kitchen in a food truck that allows customers to order food and have it delivered shortly after being prepared during transport. Smith described its next interaction of the technology as “the world’s first autonomous restaurant.”

“The restaurant industry is the last multi-trillion-dollar industry to be truly disrupted with automation,” Smith said. “We use AI on the supply chain…It’s using AI to sense all the data, the temperatures, the variation, the speed of the food, the rotation of the wok, all of the data controlling the wok…We’ll be using AI more as we go forward in terms of being able to leverage the technology for other cuisines.”

Shin Starr’s founders were initially interested in ensuring the meal would be of optimum quality when delivered to the consumer. “Their vision with the food truck was to be able to demonstrate the quality of the product that they could deliver,” said Smith, who joined the company a few years after its founding. “It just brings a whole lot of capability to the restaurant industry.” The company plans to market the model to restaurant brands.

Smith also sees restaurants benefitting from AI-enabled customer engagement tools provided by Biscuit.ai, which his son, Lincoln, founded with partners in 2023. Biscuit.ai kiosks include a microphone, camera and speakers for answering customers’ questions.

“You can just talk to a ‘micro restaurant’ and order your meal,” he said. “With that technology, you can service your customer perfectly every time at whatever depth of information they need…Whatever question you have they can answer…It just brings a whole lot of capability to the restaurant industry.”

Smith, co-founder of the automated retail technology provider Swyft, is advising on technology to improve the grocery supply chain. “There’s the convenience element of getting groceries supplied to you…And then there’s a health element of ‘What am I consuming?’

“Consumers generally want to live a healthier lifestyle, but often, we don’t know what we’re consuming. So I think there’s a big AI-big-data play in human consumption and knowing what we consume and how to make little changes…to live healthier lives.”

Smith also working mentored a company called SNAP Wellness, which provides a kiosk that resorts use as a guest service that provides sunscreen spray evenly on the consumer’s body.

Similar innovation, meanwhile, is revolutionizing vision testing. Eyebot, a freestanding self-serve vision testing kiosk, delivers an unattended, 90-second, push-button vision testing experience. A camera captures images of the eye, which a licensed optometrist then analyzes to provide a prescription or refer the patient for more evaluation. The solution delivers accurate eye prescriptions at the point-of-sale.

Jillian with Crane

“They’re filling a gap in personnel needed to help people with their eye care,” said Jillian Dabovich, director of business development, repair and maintenance solutions at Crane Payment Innovations Inc., eyebot’s field service technician and white glove installer. “They’re meeting people where they’re at in their busy days,” such as in malls and stores.

Anthony Hunckler with Pyramid

Pyramid Computer GmbH, a manufacturer of automation and digitalization hardware, is working with its sister companies to offer display solutions tailored to various self-service environments, said Anthony Hunckler, the company’s head of marketing.

“Our latest displays support operation in direct and indirect sunlight, thanks to high brightness panels and advanced optical bonding technology, which also improves durability and visibility by reducing reflections and enhancing contrast,” Hunckler said. But that’s not all.

“We are actively testing directional sound integration within the display units — allowing focused audio output without external speakers, ideal for maintaining privacy and minimizing ambient noise in public spaces,” Hunckler said.

“Connectivity has also evolved, with the addition of USB-C ports for simplified integration and power delivery,” Hunckler said. “Of course, all standard display options are still available, including anti-glare or glare treatment, IK-rated impact resistance, and multi-touch capability — ensuring our kiosks perform reliably in any location, indoors or outdoors.”

Bruce Rasmussen Ingenico

Ingenico, an ecosystem enabler and payment technology partner, recently introduced its AXIUM CX9000 all-in-one cash register for “hybrid” attended/unattended use cases in retail venues, said Bruce Rasmussen, director of sales, strategic verticals. The CX9000 is designed to save counter space while speeding up checkout times. The all-in-one cash register handles every retail situation from checkout to inventory management.

Meanwhile, Rasmussen said that payment technology continues evolving to offer more self-service opportunities. Ingenico is currently working on palm vein and facial recognition technology.

“We recognize that those technologies will eventually extend to self-service, and they must give consumers a secure feeling about the process,” Rasumessn said. Biometric identification has not expanded as fast as some expected, but Rasmussen points out that new capabilities often evolve in steps.

Rob Chilcoat with UCP Unattended

Biometric identification technology is rapidly expanding beyond airports, finding new applications in retail and other sectors—even as consumer privacy concerns persist, according to Rob Chilcoat, president and co-owner of Unattended Card Payments Inc., a leading provider of hardware and payment solutions for both attended and unattended card payment terminals.

“There are niche use cases for biometric identification, such as at locations vending age-restricted products,” Chilcoat explained. “For example, the players’ club at Resorts World uses a Thales ID reader.”

This advanced reader streamlines identity verification:

“You simply insert a state driver’s license or ID card, and the device captures three types of images—ultraviolet, high-definition, and infrared,” Chilcoat said. “It then connects to DMVs in all 50 states to validate the authenticity of the ID. The reader reaches out to the issuing state to ensure the ID isn’t counterfeit. On top of that, the built-in camera uses facial recognition to confirm that the person at the kiosk matches the photo on the ID.”

While Chilcoat sees promise in biometrics, he is less enthusiastic about cryptocurrency payments, which have been available at self-service kiosks and vending machines for several years.

“Bitcoin has gained traction among the unbanked in some countries, but its user anonymity poses a challenge for merchants who want to collect customer data,” he noted. “Credit card and point-of-sale systems now leverage powerful AI tools to build customer profiles—tracking preferences, purchase times, and habits. With bitcoin, merchants lose that ability, making it harder to tailor marketing efforts and maximize profits.”

Chilcoat emphasized that for any self-service solution to succeed, it must be user-friendly and support a broad range of payment options.

“For anything in self-service to be successful, it must be intuitive and easy to use, and accept a wide range of payment forms,” he said.

Justin Ziegler with Datacap Systems

Justin Zeigler, vice president of product strategy, Datacap Systems Inc., a provider of integrated payments solutions servicing independent software vendors, ISOs, and payment facilitators, sees continued expansion of the Android operating system.

“We’re seeing a move from other OSs to Android,” Zeigler said. “It used to be a little more fragmented and still is in specific verticals. But, we’re seeing a dramatic move to application developers building Android apps so they can leverage Android payment devices as the cardholder-facing point of contact.”

Some of the most significant changes in the industry in the immediate future will come as a result of mergers and acquisitions, Zeigler said. He points to the recent Capital One/Discover merger and Global Payments Inc.’s decision to divest its issuer solutions business to FIS for $13.5 billion and acquire Worldpay from GTCR and FIS.

“If allowed to move forward, Global and Worldpay will become a mammoth in the payments space, for better or worse,” Zeigler said.

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