Imagine walking into a small store with no cashier — you just grab what you need and walk out, and the system automatically knows what you took and charges you. MiMEX built intelligent shelves with sensors and cameras that track products in real time, handle payments, and even alert store owners when shelves need restocking or something suspicious happens. It was designed during COVID to let people shop safely without standing in lines, but the real lasting value is enabling 24-hour unmanned stores that practically run themselves.
Physical retailers face rising labor costs, shrinking margins, and growing customer demand for fast, contactless, 24-hour shopping experiences. Traditional checkout systems create bottlenecks, require permanent staffing, and offer limited real-time visibility into inventory and store activity. Retailers need a way to automate in-store operations without gutting their existing infrastructure.
MiMEX delivered a complete hardware and software micro-market system including: an industrially ready smart scale with integrated electronics, two operational pilot stores, a testbed for continuous development, and a full set of frontend and backend services with mobile and web applications for both shoppers and store managers.
If you are a convenience store chain dealing with rising labor costs and the pressure to offer 24-hour service — this project developed a complete smart shelf and automated checkout system that tracks products collected by customers in real time and handles payment without a cashier. The solution was validated through 2 operational pilots and includes mobile apps for both shoppers and store managers.
If you manage corporate offices or hotels and want to offer employees or guests a self-service retail option without staffing a shop — this project built a micro-market solution with intelligent shelves and low-cost sensors that can operate unmanned around the clock. The system includes exhausted product alarms and shelf-tidying requests so your team only intervenes when actually needed.
If you run grocery stores and struggle with checkout congestion, shelf monitoring, and shrinkage — this project created a hardware and software solution using deep-learning and sensors that detects what shoppers pick up, flags attempted thefts, and alerts staff when products run low. It was tested across 2 pilots with an industrialized scale system ready for deployment.
Based on available project data, specific pricing per store is not disclosed. The system uses low-cost sensors and deep-learning algorithms, which suggests a design intent to keep hardware costs accessible. Interested retailers should contact the coordinator for commercial terms.
The project delivered an Industrialized Scale System described as industrially ready, alongside 2 separate pilot deployments and a testbed for continuous development. The consortium of 5 partners across 3 countries with 80% industry participation was structured for scale-up.
IP is held by the consortium led by Spindox Labs SRL (Italy). As an Innovation Action funded under Fast Track to Innovation, the results are intended for commercial exploitation. Licensing or partnership terms would need to be negotiated with the coordinator.
The project ran 2 operational pilots and delivered an industrialized scale system with full frontend and backend services including mobile and web apps. This puts it at pilot-validated stage with industrial-grade hardware ready for deployment discussions.
The project built a complete set of frontend and backend services including web applications for store managers. Based on available project data, specific integration capabilities with third-party POS systems are not detailed, but the architecture includes backend services designed for store management workflows.
The system uses object detection and people tracking with deep-learning algorithms and sensors. As an EU-funded project, it would need to comply with GDPR. Specific privacy-by-design measures are not detailed in available project data — this should be discussed directly with the development team.
The MiMEX consortium is heavily industry-driven: 4 out of 5 partners are from industry (80%), with just 1 research organization and zero universities. This is a strong signal of commercial intent — the team was built to deliver a product, not write academic papers. Led by Spindox Labs SRL from Italy (a private company, not an SME), the partnership spans 3 countries (Italy, Spain, Turkey). The consortium includes 1 SME, suggesting a mix of established capability and agile development capacity. The absence of academic partners and the Fast Track to Innovation funding scheme confirm this was designed from the start as a near-market deployment project.
Spindox Labs SRL (Italy) — search for their team on LinkedIn or the project website for direct contact
Want an introduction to the MiMEX team to discuss deployment or licensing? SciTransfer can arrange a direct meeting with the coordinator.
