Robots have rolled into retail, from six-foot-tall free-moving machines spotting spills in Giant Foods Stores to autonomous shelf-scanners checking inventory in Walmart. At Lowe's, the home improvement chain, a "LoweBot" in some stores can answer simple questions, such as where to find items, and can assist with inventory monitoring. The real benefit of retail robots is the opportunity to capture more granular data about the products on the shelves and customer buying patterns, which can increase efficiency and accuracy in inventory management. The key is using retail robots as data-collectors within an internet-of-things (IoT), which is best thought of as a complex network of connected devices, objects, and sensors gathering voluminous data that is analyzed in the cloud or with edge computing, which uses nearby servers to lower latency. From manufacturing to transportation and now retail, IoT creates an intelligent digital ecosystem.

In 2010, Japan's telecom operations partnered with a robotic manufacturer to develop a humanoid robot that can interact with customers and perceive human emotions. In Japan, where it is used as customer service and representative in mobile stores. Additionally, the retailer experienced a 98% increase in customer interactions, a 20% increase in foot traffic and, a 300% increase in revenue. While not the only retail robot in use, in-store robots appear to at least initially boost store interest and sales. This is a great effect that will wear off once retail robots become the norm remains to be determined.

On our sidewalks, in our skies, in our every store… Over the next decade, robots will enter the mainstream of retail. As countless robots work behind the scenes to stock shelves, serve customers, and deliver products to our doorstep, the speed of retail will accelerate. These changes are already underway. In this blog, we'll elaborate on how robots are entering the retail ecosystem. On August 3rd, 2016, Domino's Pizza introduced the Domino's Robotic Unit, or "DRU" for short.

A hardware store in San Jose has a new star employee. It can speak English and Spanish, recognise any part at sight, and knows what the shop has in stock on a second by second basis. OSHbot, as it is called, measures roughly 5ft, and boasts a 3D scanner and touchscreen. "It's not just robots for robots' sake, or a marketing gimmick," insists Kyl Nel, executive director of Lowe's Innovation Labs. Lowe's is an American DIY chain, and the robot's ultimate employer.