The NSF’s Science Nation has a great feature today on the “Science of Shopping,” describing how computer scientists Rajeev Sharma and Satish Mummareddy have developed cameras and software that track our shopping behavior in brick-and-mortar stores, with the goal of showing retailers and manufacturers the best areas to place products within stores.

Next time you go to a store, take a minute to look at all the things that are trying to grab your attention. With so many products available and so many stores and websites, how do you decide what to buy and where to shop? Whether it’s convenience, good service or finding the best deals, store owners want to know what attracts you to their stores, and what it takes to keep you coming back. Turns out, there’s a science to all this.

Check out the video — courtesy of NSF Science Nation — after the jump…

And read much more about the effort — now a startup called VideoMining — here.

Brain Computer Interface

Also from Science Nation today, read about research into brain computer interfaces for controlling computers, robotic prosthetic limbs, motorized wheelchairs, digital avatars, etc.

(Contributed by Erwin Gianchandani, CCC Director)