Artificial intelligence is being experimented with in point-of-sale displays by a team from Queen Mary University and a digital agency.

Lean Mean Fighting Machine is experimenting with artificially intelligent POS technology

The artificial intelligence comes from using a genetic algorithm that replicates human evolution to create a solution that best suits a particular environment.

Genetic algorithms are already being used by the telecoms industry to solve the ‘travelling salesman problem’ and find the quickest path between nodes.

Digital agency Lean Mean Fighting Machine technical partner Dave Cox has collaborated with Queen Mary University to create a digital display that uses a webcam to develop a platform for artificially intelligent point-of-sale (PoS) and window displays.

Lean Mean Fighting Machine's Dave Cox describes the artificially intelligent technology

The webcam captures people’s reactions to random strings of text displayed on a screen and the messages that receive attention from people passing by are allowed to reproduce.

That means the popular strings of text will be shown on the screen again and ones that did not receive attention will not.

Dave Cox predicts the technology could be applied commercially within a year to allow retailers to have artificially intelligent PoS and window displays that adapt to create the most effective advertising messages.

Later iterations of the platform will use Xbox’s Kinect motion sensing technology, which can measure people’s heartbeat.

By recognising the speed of people’s heartbeat when they see the message, the algorithm will be able to ascertain whether people have been excited, angered or nonplussed by the message.