If you've ever made a late night trip to the grocery store only to find your favorite ice cream or other craving of choice is out of stock, you'll appreciate a new robot called Tally.
Created by the start-up Simbe Robotics, Tally is capable of zipping itself around a store and keeping track of low-stock and out-of-stock items.
Tally can also catch pricing errors or if items have been misplaced, according to a press release.
It autonomously navigates on a wheeled platform will analyze a store's shelf items during normal hours while shoppers are present.
"If a product is unavailable at the time the shopper wants to buy it, the retailer has missed an opportunity and disappointed their customer,” Brad Bogolea, CEO and co-founder of Simbe Robotics, wrote in the press release. “Tally helps retailers address these challenges by providing more precise and timely analysis of the state of in-store merchandise and freeing up staff to focus on customer service.”
Retailers don't have to change their shelves or store to accommodate Tally. The robot uses sensors to navigate on its own and analyze the state of the store. The data Tally collects is automatically sent to the cloud where store owners can view it.
The 30-pound robot has a charging dock that it will navigate to on its own when its running low. Tally has been trialed by various retailers in the United States and Asia, according to a spokesperson. The robot is currently being tested by a retailer who prefers to remain confidential at this point, the spokesperson added.
Like driverless cars, the robot has multiple sensors that enable it to avoid collisions. This enables it to navigate the store while people are shopping without an accident.
Robots are working alongside humans more and more each day. The Noodlebot helps cut a specific type of noodle, called dao xiao mian, in restaurants where chefs then step in to cook. Robots are even preparing chemotherapy and performing radiation scans in hospitals.
See Tally in action here:
