Abstract: A system for keeping track of an employee's attendance is described that allows the employee to be creative which also helps morale. An employee sets up an employee account and provides identification. A full body image is taken of the employee that is analyzed. Facial features may also be analyzed and stored. The employee then can create his/her own unique gesture which is captured and stored as a unique clock in gesture. He/she may also set up passwords and/or security questions if the gesture is not recognized. The employee then performs the unique clock in gesture to notify the system when he/she is beginning or leaving work. During clock in, the system checks human resource rules, accumulated work hours and characteristics of the employee's employment and clocks in the employee if it determines that the employee meets the rules and is allowed to clock in and work additional hours.

Abstract: A landing pad receptacle receives and stores a package delivered by an unmanned vehicle, comprising: a housing; a storage compartment in the housing; and a validation device that detects a presence of a package delivered by a unmanned vehicle in the storage compartment and authenticates a package for return by a unmanned vehicle.

Abstract: A system for identifying and displaying one or more optimal locations within a lot for a garden in which to plant and grow suggested plant varieties is discussed. The system includes a robotic device positioned and configured to scan the lot and to generate at least one lot parameter. The system also includes a soil sensor positionable in soil in the lot and configured to generate at least one soil parameter. The system further includes a computing system configured to execute a location optimization module that determines varieties of suggested plants based on the soil parameter and the lot parameter. Based on a user selection from the varieties of suggested plants, the computing system identifies optimal locations for a garden within the lot for the one or more selected plants. The computing system transmits the optimal locations for the garden to a user computing device for display.

Abstract: A technique for detecting spills is disclosed. A number of electrodes within a portion of a surface are connected to a resistance meter. The resistance meter detects a spill by measuring a change in resistance between two or more electrodes when a fluid is spilled over the two or more of the electrodes. The location of the spill can also be determined based on a known location for each of the electrodes. The size of the spill can further be determined based on a number of electrodes which measured a change in resistance due to the spilled fluid.

Abstract: A sterilization mechanism for a shopping cart is described. The shopping cart includes a frame, a basket portion mounted to the frame, and a handle portion mounted to the frame and including a top and bottom section. The shopping cart includes a cleanliness sensor configured to detect a cleanliness level of the handle portion. The shopping cart includes a sterilization mechanism for killing microorganisms on the handle portion detachably mounted to the handle portion. The sterilization mechanism includes an ultraviolet light source disposed within the body of the sterilization mechanism and configured to be actuated into a light-emitting position when the cleanliness level is detected to be equal to or above a predetermined cleanliness threshold. In the light-emitting position, the ultraviolet light source is configured to emit ultraviolet light onto the handle portion to sterilize both the top and bottom sections of the handle portion from a mounted position.

Abstract: Methodologies, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for containing fluid from an overflowing toilet. An annular fluid containment basin is located near the base of a toilet and is configured to encircle the base of the toilet and collect fluid flowing down the exterior surface of the toilet. A moisture sensor is located within the annular fluid containment basin and configured to sense a spill. A drain is also located within the annular fluid containment basin to direct fluid to bypass an S-bend or trap connected to the toilet.

Abstract: A technique for detecting spills is described. A number of audio sensors detect a sound potentially associated with an object spilling on a surface and the audio data from the sensors is analyzed in order to generate an acoustical analysis of the sound. The analysis of the sound detected by the audio sensors is compared against a database of known sounds corresponding to a number of types of spill incidents. Based on a match detected between the analysis of the sound and a type of spill incident in the database of known sounds, the identity of the object spilled can be determined. The location of the spilled object can also be calculated by triangulating the sensor data from the audio sensors.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for evaluating shopping cart wheels using a sensor module or one or more microphones engaged with the shopping cart. The microphones can be used to detect sounds generated by the wheels of the shopping cart. A sound signature can be determined from the detected sound and compared to sound signatures in a database. If the detected sound indicates that a wheel of the shopping cart is failing, an alert can be generated using an associate alert system.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for automated checkout using metal detection to determine a location of a universal product code (UPC) or another physical item identifier (PID) associated with a given item. A set of sensors detects a location of a physical identifier (PID) associated with at least one item. A set of signal components outputs an indication of the detected PID location on the given item. The output PID location indication directs a movement or change in position of the given item to place the PID in a readable proximity of a scanner component. The PID location indication may include an audible indication, a visual indication, and/or a haptic indication to a user. The PID location indication may include instructions to an orientation component for automatically repositioning the item within the readable proximity of the scanner component.

Abstract: A technique for detecting spills is disclosed. A number of electrodes within a portion of a surface are connected to a resistance meter. The resistance meter detects a spill by measuring a change in resistance between two or more electrodes when a fluid is spilled over the two or more of the electrodes. The location of the spill can also be determined based on a known location for each of the electrodes. The size of the spill can further be determined based on a number of electrodes which measured a change in resistance due to the spilled fluid.

Abstract: A technique for detecting spills is disclosed. A number of electrodes within a portion of a surface are connected to a resistance meter. The resistance meter detects a spill by measuring a change in resistance between two or more electrodes when a fluid is spilled over the two or more of the electrodes. The location of the spill can also be determined based on a known location for each of the electrodes. The size of the spill can further be determined based on a number of electrodes which measured a change in resistance due to the spilled fluid.

Abstract: Systems and methods for dynamic recognition feedback acquisition are discussed. A recognition feedback acquisition system acquires information from the short-range communication device of associated with an individual by reading the short-range communication device and generates recognition information regarding the individual that includes the acquired tag information. The recognition feedback acquisition system further assigns a value to the received recognition information, aggregates the assigned value for the individual to update a recognition status, and transmits data regarding the updated recognition status to a device associated with the individual.

Abstract: Spoken language localization systems and methods are described. A spoken language localization system receives samples from one or more audio sensors that detect speech of an opted-in individual in proximity to a computing device, parses the samples, identifies the parsed samples as an identified language using the language rules engine and at least one language database, determines whether the identified language corresponds to a language listed in a user account, and automatically localizes the application to the identified language on the computing device based on determining that the identified language corresponds to a language listed in a user account of a user associated with the computing device.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for evaluating shopping cart wheels using a sensor module or one or more microphones engaged with the shopping cart. The microphones can be used to detect sounds generated by the wheels of the shopping cart. A sound signature can be determined from the detected sound and compared to sound signatures in a database. If the detected sound indicates that a wheel of the shopping cart is failing, an alert can be generated using an associate alert system.

Abstract: Methodologies, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for containing fluid from an overflowing toilet. An annular fluid containment basin is located near the base of a toilet and is configured to encircle the base of the toilet and collect fluid flowing down the exterior surface of the toilet. A moisture sensor is located within the annular fluid containment basin and configured to sense a spill. A drain is also located within the annular fluid containment basin to direct fluid to bypass an S-bend or trap connected to the toilet.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for evaluating shopping cart wheels using a sensor module or one or more microphones engaged with the shopping cart. The microphones can be used to detect sounds generated by the wheels of the shopping cart. A sound signature can be determined from the detected sound and compared to sound signatures in a database. If the detected sound indicates that a wheel of the shopping cart is failing, an alert can be generated using an associate alert system.

Abstract: Methods and systems for tracking associate interaction with a customer are described. A method may include receiving, at an associate-customer interaction server, associate action data from an electronic sensor. The method may further include determining, at the associate-customer interaction server and from the associate action data received from the electronic sensor, whether an interaction between an associate and a customer has been initiated. The method may also include, in response to determining that the interaction between the associate and the customer has been initiated, determining, at the associate-customer interaction server, whether the associate acted in accordance with an electronically defined associate-customer interaction policy during the interaction based on the associate action data.

Abstract: A system for identifying and displaying one or more optimal locations within a lot for a garden in which to plant and grow suggested plant varieties is discussed. The system includes a robotic device positioned and configured to scan the lot and to generate at least one lot parameter. The system also includes a soil sensor positionable in soil in the lot and configured to generate at least one soil parameter. The system further includes a computing system configured to execute a location optimization module that determines varieties of suggested plants based on the soil parameter and the lot parameter. Based on a user selection from the varieties of suggested plants, the computing system identifies optimal locations for a garden within the lot for the one or more selected plants. The computing system transmits the optimal locations for the garden to a user computing device for display.

Abstract: A system for determining a shopping metric from static electricity comprises a plurality of static electricity sensors; a monitoring server that processes signals generated by the static electricity sensors and determines from the processed signals a store metric; and a static electricity measurement database that stores the store metric for subsequent retrieval for analysis.

Abstract: Described in detail herein are systems, methods for storing a physical object in a temperature-controlled storage unit disposed on a shopping cart. One or more physical objects can be stored and held within the interior volume via an interior volume of the storage unit operatively coupled to the shopping cart. The temperature of the interior volume of the storage unit can be controlled via a temperature controlling device operatively coupled to the storage unit. Sensors disposed within the interior volume of the storage unit can detect a the temperature of the interior volume. The sensors can encode the temperature into electrical signals and transmit the electrical signals from the plurality of sensors to a computing system. The computing system can determine whether the temperature is within a specified threshold and control the temperature-controlling device to adjust the first temperature to a third temperature.