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Red Sox Larry Lucchino teams with Standard Cognition on autonomous checkout

Matt Levin, center, of thee Worcester Red Sox and Michael Suswal of Standard Cognition announce the new partnership at CES in Las Vegas. At left is moderator Maureen Conners. Photo courtesy of Networld Media Group.

January 9, 2020

Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer and pioneering sports executive Larry Lucchino and tech startup Standard Cognition announced that the two have partnered to bring autonomous checkout to sports and entertainment venues around the world. The announcement was made at the CES show in Las Vegas.

In September 2019, the Worcester Red Sox, of which Lucchino is chairman and principal owner, became the first pro sports team to announce an autonomous checkout store, to be located in Polar Park, a ballpark the team is building in Worcester, Massachusetts scheduled to open in April 2021.

Lucchino, who led the charge on the initial partnership, is known for driving innovation in pro sports venues, according to a press release. He was the driving force behind the creation of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore and Petco Park in San Diego before working with Boston Red Sox principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner to spearhead the renovation of Fenway Park and the creation of JetBlue Park in Lee County, Florida, both while serving as president/CEO of the Red Sox.

Based on Standard Cognition's technology design and vision for the market at Polar Park, Lucchino approached Standard, suggesting the two collaborate in bringing autonomous checkout to the sports and entertainment world.

"I've been involved in implementing innovative technology in venues, and autonomous checkout will have perhaps the biggest impact on the fan experience," Lucchino said in the press release. "No one wants to waste time standing in line. Autonomous checkout eliminates that, and is a giant step forward, thanks to Standard Cognition's proprietary invention. It enables venues to provide a frictionless experience, and we think it will be so impactful that we want to help other venues use it too."