Grocery-Bagging Robots Getting Better at Tasks
MIT's CSAIL research was also shared at the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics in April. Although the system isn’t yet available commercially, the researchers emphasize that the RoboGrocery soft robotic system is a promising capability that can enhance the grocery shopping experience.
Along with artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, the use of robotics is helping address challenges in the grocery business. Technology solutions provider Ocado Group, for example, offers robotic technologies that combine computer vision, reinforcement learning and advanced sensing to automate the picking and packaging process; that technology is integrated into The Hive system by Ocado at its customer fulfillment centers.
Elsewhere in the store, improvements are also being made in inventory robots. In early June, for example, store intelligence solutions provider Simbe shared results of a recent survey of store manages showing that its inventory robot, Tally, saves teammates up to 50 hours a week and three out of four managers said that they can better support customers as a result.