AI-Enhanced Robotics

Virginia’s new law is a coup for robotics.   The commonwealth is the first state to pass legislation allowing delivery robots to operate on sidewalks and crosswalks across the state, according to ReCode.  

Steve Carlin, VP and general manager of SoftBank Robotics, spoke with Chain Store Age about how robots are helping to reinvent the in-store shopping experience.

What trends are advancing interest in robot technology at the store level?

A few trends have helped set the stage for in-store robotics.

A new coffee shop is open in San Francisco. The blend of the day: artisan coffee and automated technology.   Taking a page from the AmazonGo experience, Cafe X is an automated coffee shop that opened in San Francisco’s Metreon mall on Jan. 30, according to the Los Angeles Times.   

UPS is the latest company to try its hand at drone deliveries.   The delivery company has successfully tested a drone on Monday, Feb. 20, in Lithia, Florida. Called an octocopter drone, the device launches from atop of a UPS package car, autonomously delivers a package to a home, and then returns to the vehicle while the driver continues along the route to make a separate delivery.   

A group of engineers from Oregon State University think it has a solution to solve the home delivery puzzle.  

Amazon’s packing processes are about to get even faster.   The retail giant has been issued a patent for a robot that can pack orders, potentially speeding up the fulfillment process, according to NBC News.   

Everything is bigger in Texas — including Amazon’s breadth of fulfillment centers.   The retail giant is planning its ninth Texas fulfillment center in Coppell, a move that will create 1,000 more full-time positions. The facility, which will be outfitted with state-of-the-art robotics, will be Amazon’s third located in Coppell. Amazon’s first Coppell warehouse began fulfilling customer orders in 2013; the second launched during the 2016 holiday shopping season.  

A futuristic delivery service is now up and running in two U.S. cities.   Six-wheeled robots that are a little under 2 ft. tall and travel at walking speed are delivering food in conjunction with Postmates in Washington, D.C., and DoorDash in Redwood City, Calif., according to a report by Recode.   

Clearly, Cyber Week’s promotions helped to produce record-breaking sales — but discounts alone won’t drive success this holiday season.   Let’s face it — even the best deals won’t matter if a retailer doesn’t have those highly-coveted Hatchimals or wireless Dr. Dre Beats in-stock and ready to be shipped in record-time. This battle will be won with a focused staff that is trained and ready to handle an onslaught of incoming orders; respond to customer questions and efficiently fulfill orders.