Robots are no scifi anymore, although we don’t usually see their deployment. However, Wallmart is about to take up this trend. In some of its branches, there is a robotic goods controller whose job is to find out what shelf has an empty space in order for a human colleague to fill it.

In Wallmart stores American Arkansas, besides friendly staff, you can encounter robots who watch the state of the shelves using 3D scanners. They check whether some goods are sold out for some reason and therefore missing from the shelf. It’s some sort of a real demonstration of robotization in practice. However, despite the worries of many people, as well as professional periodicals, it is not a substitution to human power, but only an addition to it.

The job of the robot in Wallmart is not substituting the man or their work, but only addition and help. The robot, thanks to a 3D scanner, finds out where empty space is, report it to the crew and they fill the shelf up. Thanks to his, check-ups that are often useless are not needed anymore and therefore, people can dedicate their time to more meaningful tasks.

Robots come from the workshop of Bossa Nova Robotics and besides controlling the state of shelves, they are also able to reveal damaged packaging or missing price tags. Robots are fully autonomous as well and thanks to 3D terrain reading, they are able to avoid obstacles. They are also able to write a note to themselves when some aisle is currently unavailable – so that they can come back later.