Sam's Club Deploying Autonomous Robots

Sam's Club is adding 372 autonomous floor scrubbers, manufactured by Tennant Co. and powered by Brain Corp, to its fleet. The expansion will result in a floor scrubber in nearly all of the retailer's 600 U.S. stores. 

Sam's Club is also expanding a six-month retail shelf analytics pilot using Brain Corp's innovative floor scrubber accessory for localizing and analyzing shelf inventory with the goal of improving in-store shopping experiences. This cloud-connected application helps verify pricing accuracy, confirm planogram compliance and ensure product availability without requiring time consuming and potentially inaccurate manual processes.

The data-scanning capabilities using artificial intelligence (AI) will work in addition to the cleaning attributes of the Tennant T7AMR floor scrubbers. 

"The potential of robots, AI, and data working in concert throughout an in-store environment can only be realized by proven, commercial technology," said Dr. Eugene Izhikevich, CEO of Brain Corp. "Sam's Club recognizes the scale of this opportunity and we are proud to be selected as part of their connected club initiatives. With BrainOS powering the world's largest fleet of autonomous robots operating in dynamic public environments, retailers and robotics manufacturers alike can have confidence in the safety, operating performance, and scalability of our platform."

This data-scanning technology can be added at any time, providing the flexibility to get started with autonomous cleaning and add additional applications when it makes sense for the business. 

"Tennant Company is excited to be partnering with Brain Corp, combining their expertise in software and AI and our expertise of technology integration, manufacturing and servicing of equipment," said Rusty Zay, senior vice president, technology & innovation at Tennant Co. "The addition of the shelf analytics accessory allows us to further the value that robotic cleaning brings to our customers by providing self-cleaning, while also helping how they keep their shelves stocked."

Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart, Sam's Club parent company, operates more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries, and e-commerce websites, employing 2.2 million-plus associates worldwide. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, while Sam's Club ranks No. 9 on the list.