Study snacking has been made easier for students at the Canberra Institute of Technology with the opening of the first checkout-free shop in an Australian educational institution.
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The Canberra Institute of Technology Student Association officially launched its new store on Thursday, where students can walk in using their bank card or mobile payment, pick up their food and drink and leave.
The facility has been fitted out with Amazon's aptly named Just Walk Out technology, which uses "AI-like technology", including cameras, sensors and machine learning algorithms to determine what consumers have taken from the shop and then charges their card for the items.
CIT Student Association chief executive Andrew Scotford said the association identified this as one of the things that would improve the student experience, as well as that of staff and campus visitors.
Mr Scotford said staffing hospitality locations has been a challenge post COVID-lockdown "so this helps us address that".
"This was a place that we couldn't find a way to staff a service for and now we can provide that service," he said.
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The shop also gives students the options to grab food and drink options while they study late or take night courses, when other shops may be closed.
CITSA council chair Lelio Laschkolnig said facilities like this helped students study without interruption.
Amazon Web Services Head of Modernisation in Australia and New Zealand Craig Lawton said the Just Walk Out technology has been deployed to 200 locations around the world, including at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
The CIT Bruce Campus YalaPlus store is open to the public, with the checkout-free technology to be further rolled out at two more sites on CIT campuses in Bruce and Fyshwick.