:00:00. > :00:28.Now on BBC News, it is time to Click.
:00:29. > :00:36.This month marks the 25th anniversary of the self checkout.
:00:37. > :00:39.The first one was installed in New York on 5 August,
:00:40. > :00:45.So what does its inventor, Doctor Howard Schneider,
:00:46. > :00:53.I hadn't gone shopping much, so I went to the supermarket
:00:54. > :00:58.And I started looking at people checking out, and my stopwatch
:00:59. > :01:01.went "Click, click" - it was a mechanical one.
:01:02. > :01:04.And, you know, I said wow, what a great environment.
:01:05. > :01:14.and I said, this would be a great, great problem to solve.
:01:15. > :01:16.And then I started building a machine in my garage.
:01:17. > :01:19.I actually spent every cent I had on parts,
:01:20. > :01:21.and I got the first machines built.
:01:22. > :01:24.See, I love self-service checkouts, but then I'm a control freak.
:01:25. > :01:29.Until they go wrong, at which point they become a right
:01:30. > :01:37.The technology in the machines now is less than it was 25 years ago,
:01:38. > :01:41.using 286 computers, using MS-DOS 3.3.
:01:42. > :01:44.I had better technology 25 years ago than what you see now,
:01:45. > :01:47.which is the reason for a lot of frustrations.
:01:48. > :01:52.Please remove item before continuing.
:01:53. > :01:55.So now people are thinking outside of the shopping basket,
:01:56. > :01:57.to try and update the self checkout
:01:58. > :02:03.In Japan, Reggie Robo takes your basket and bags your
:02:04. > :02:09.The system, which was trialled at the beginning of the year,
:02:10. > :02:12.scans the RFID tags on all the items at the same time.
:02:13. > :02:15.Since December, the Amazon Go shop has been undergoing
:02:16. > :02:19.Once it is working, shoppers should be able to pick up their items
:02:20. > :02:26.Swedish cafe company Wheelys is working on a similar idea.
:02:27. > :02:38.Although this staff-less shop will even come to you.
:02:39. > :02:42.Here at Canary Wharf, in London, something less spectacular,
:02:43. > :02:45.but which seems to me more workable and more scalable.
:02:46. > :02:50.Grab and Go has been invented by Barclaycard.
:02:51. > :02:54.The app scans bar codes as you grab items off the shelf,
:02:55. > :02:58.Payment is taken from the card that is linked to the app,
:02:59. > :03:02.and the receipt is sent to the phone, so you don't have
:03:03. > :03:06.But, with all that grabbing and going, are you thinking
:03:07. > :03:12.In the future, if you're scanning things and then just putting it
:03:13. > :03:14.in your bag, and then just walking out,
:03:15. > :03:20.I can see more people stealing more stuff.
:03:21. > :03:28.So you can basically very easily pick up some item and then can walk
:03:29. > :03:33.out, but on the way you have CCTV, you have a man on the ground
:03:34. > :03:42.So it's no more secure than a self-scan checkout,
:03:43. > :03:47.but I do wonder how many people would just accidentally miss
:03:48. > :03:51.that barcode, and leave
:03:52. > :03:55.Although, even here, technology might be able
:03:56. > :03:59.Supermarket giant Walmart has filed a patent to incorporate facial
:04:00. > :04:00.recognition, blood pressure and heart rate monitoring
:04:01. > :04:03.into its stores to try and understand customer
:04:04. > :04:07.It might improve customer service, but previous trials of the tech have
:04:08. > :04:10.been used to try to spot shoplifters, raising a few security
:04:11. > :04:14.In fact, just this week, the supermarket announced it is also
:04:15. > :04:17.trialling a scan-and-go solution, but this one relies on shop
:04:18. > :04:21.assistant approval before you can leave.
:04:22. > :04:24.In China, which is home to several unmanned stores like this one,
:04:25. > :04:28.you need your face to get in the front door in the first place.
:04:29. > :04:30.Like Barclaycard's Grab and Go, customers scan items
:04:31. > :04:33.using their phones, and they can even heat up their grub
:04:34. > :04:36.Speaking of heating things up, a similar Chinese idea,
:04:37. > :04:40.Bingo Box, ran into problems when one of its glass clad stores
:04:41. > :04:46.Now, as it was unmanned, it wasn't until customers began
:04:47. > :04:48.to complain that the sweltering temperatures
:04:49. > :04:53.were ruining the food inside that the shop was shut down.
:04:54. > :04:58.It is now back up and running, and everything is cool.
:04:59. > :05:03.So it's not all plain sailing for these souped-up shops,
:05:04. > :05:06.and it will be a while before we buy our weekly groceries
:05:07. > :05:09.in the store without some form of human
:05:10. > :05:12.But, as our patience wears increasingly thin in this age
:05:13. > :05:15.of grabbing and going, it's no surprise that Bingo Box
:05:16. > :05:23.plans to open 5,000 more stores in the coming year.
:05:24. > :05:25.Premier League football starts again this weekend,
:05:26. > :05:31.which I'm reliably informed is important to some people.
:05:32. > :05:34.Seriously, though, fans will be excited to see what their club's
:05:35. > :05:46.But how do you know if a new player is going to be right for your team?
:05:47. > :05:49.Well, one company is using virtual reality to identify talent,
:05:50. > :05:50.and also help players to recover
:05:51. > :05:57.I'm in Manchester, home of great football, to check out a small
:05:58. > :05:59.start-up that is joining up with Premier League clubs
:06:00. > :06:03.for an idea that's only eight months in the making.
:06:04. > :06:10.This VR system helps scouts recruit players by using statistics
:06:11. > :06:14.from virtual gameplay to decide whether or not the player would work
:06:15. > :06:25.But it separately is also being used to help injured players get back
:06:26. > :06:26.to full fitness, mentally and physically.
:06:27. > :06:30.You have injured players who will often spend anything
:06:31. > :06:33.from six months to ten months, years out of the game.
:06:34. > :06:36.And the scientists, the physios will work with them,
:06:37. > :06:40.but we do not know what they're going to do in a situation,
:06:41. > :06:42.what decisions they're going to make.
:06:43. > :06:46.Now, they can play games, as well as having the treatment,
:06:47. > :06:49.the movement is limited, but they can feel a part
:06:50. > :06:56.They are using an HTC5 headset, with the usual hand controllers
:06:57. > :07:03.And the kit is wireless, crucial for football drills.
:07:04. > :07:06.As well as this version, they are also working on one
:07:07. > :07:08.for goalies, which will require an extra pair of sensors.
:07:09. > :07:12.Several Premier League clubs are signing up to use the VR system,
:07:13. > :07:15.because it promises to bring players back from the bench faster.
:07:16. > :07:23.And the first question they ask - does it feel like a real ball?
:07:24. > :07:26.You do feel like you're really hitting the ball,
:07:27. > :07:33.I don't know if't is the sound, or the visuals, but it is very
:07:34. > :07:37.And I know people always use that word for VR,
:07:38. > :07:39.but it does feel as though you are hitting it.
:07:40. > :07:46.And because you are not, it's important players don't try too
:07:47. > :07:48.hard, and injure themselves even more, especially when they've cost
:07:49. > :08:23.Part of the problem is to make sure that they are not hyper extending.
:08:24. > :08:27.We had a player last week who is not allowed to kick a physical ball. He
:08:28. > :08:32.is fit and can probably run a marathon, but the injury means he
:08:33. > :08:34.can't do it. It is basically a case of I feel like I am keeping a ball,
:08:35. > :08:40.psychologically it is massive. I am now in the rehab drill
:08:41. > :08:45.and there is a man to my left Now, I cannot do that,
:08:46. > :08:49.because my balance on these prosthetics just is not
:08:50. > :08:51.there, sorry, physios! But I can see how that would be very
:08:52. > :08:55.useful for injured players, but not just injured
:08:56. > :09:02.players, in hospitals. Players will complete a set
:09:03. > :09:04.of exercises and drills which will be scored,
:09:05. > :09:07.and their fitness can then be Elsewhere in the sport
:09:08. > :09:10.world, American football STRIVR there is a company out
:09:11. > :09:13.of Stanford University, currently working with seven NFL
:09:14. > :09:17.teams to allow players to practice anytime, anywhere,
:09:18. > :09:20.without the same physical tolls. And in the Netherlands,
:09:21. > :09:23.another VR company, Beyond Sports, has a contract with both Arsenal
:09:24. > :09:26.and Stoke City for match analysis But, back in the UK,
:09:27. > :09:30.a man who won Premier League titles as a player
:09:31. > :09:32.and coach with Manchester United thinks the new technology
:09:33. > :09:36.could really help. I think it benefits both amateur,
:09:37. > :09:41.professional and grassroots. You can put pressure
:09:42. > :09:43.into the situation. Football, possibly, have had
:09:44. > :09:51.a reluctance to use it, But the kit they are
:09:52. > :10:05.offering is not cheap, with packages starting at ?5,000,
:10:06. > :10:07.and increasing to more But the potential benefits of VR
:10:08. > :10:11.to the football clubs that can Coaches want to train and test
:10:12. > :10:16.footballers in the most effective way, by recreating the pressure
:10:17. > :10:18.and intensity of performing So what would the manager
:10:19. > :10:22.with the most Premier League titles under his belt, Sir Alex
:10:23. > :10:30.Ferguson, think about it? Do you think Fergie would
:10:31. > :10:33.have been up for it? He was open to all
:10:34. > :10:38.that sort of stuff, as long as it made
:10:39. > :10:42.a bit of a difference. Or sometimes it's what people like,
:10:43. > :10:45.you know, players like it. Top clubs are big businesses,
:10:46. > :10:50.and the money in football is only And, as it does, teams will be
:10:51. > :10:54.looking for any way to improve. As you watch your team this weekend,
:10:55. > :10:57.remember that last-minute winner or fingertip save might be
:10:58. > :11:15.the result of some hard hours spent And that is it for the shortcut of
:11:16. > :11:20.Click this week. The full version is waiting for you on iPlayer. Over the
:11:21. > :11:24.next couple of weeks we are going to give you the chance to re- watch two
:11:25. > :11:28.of our favourite shows from the year so far, the two Indian specials.
:11:29. > :11:30.We'll be travelling across the country, to meet
:11:31. > :11:33.the people working hard to change lives, save lives,
:11:34. > :11:38.I hope you enjoy watching them as much as we enjoyed making them.
:11:39. > :11:41.Do not forget we are on Twitter and on Facebook.
:11:42. > :11:45.Thank you for watching, and we'll see you soon.