The multinational adds robots to its ranks that perform repetitive, predictable and manual tasks, search shelves that have run out of stock, identify poorly placed prices or take note of incorrect labels.
Robots are here to stay. Every day we know more advances in technology, and the consequent applications that these entail. One of the central bastions where these great changes are taking place is in Artificial Intelligence. His transformation brings us closer to a world of possibilities that we would never have imagined.
The well-known American supermarket chain Walmart continues its journey towards digitalization and, for this, he has added to his ranks new dependents: robots 0.61 meters high. The multinational has tested these devices in several stores in Arkansas, Pennsylvania and California, where they have been used for repetitive, predictable and manual tasks.
What is the task of robots?
Robot, which are equipped with a tower and a series of cameras, move searching the shelves that have run out of stock, identifying wrong prices or taking note of wrong labels. All data collected is then passed on to the employees, who are responsible for replenishing the stock and correcting any errors. In this video published on the company’s YouTube channel we can see how robots work:
Initial testing has been so successful that Walmart will expand its fleet in 50 stores across the country, and this expansion is expected to be completed by the end of January next year 2018.
Improving the shopping experience
Walmart robots are 50% more productive than employees, more accurate in scanning and three times faster. Although they have amazing efficiency, robots are not going to replace human workers, being a relief for employees, as Jeremy King, the company’s chief technology officer, told Reuters.
The company has opted for these autonomous scanners to end the problem of lack of stock. Unavailable items mean the potential loss of a sale. This adds to the tedious work of scanning every item in the store.
The incorporation of robots to shops facilitates purchases for consumers. For its part, Walmart takes its own steps in the race to incorporate technology into its ranks, after the alliance between Google and Amazon with the launch of a new delivery service.
And is that, the rise of robotics has already caused the European Union to begin to regulate our coexistence with robots proposing 6 laws of robotics.
