Walmart fires inventory robots

Walmart has ended its collaboration with Bossa Nova Robotics. This means, among other things, that the supermarket chain is abandoning its plans to use robots on a large scale to scan shelves and track inventory.

Other solutions

Walmart has been using robots for a long time to help store staff with repetitive tasks such as cleaning or checking the shelves. In January, the chain announced that it would introduce Bossa Nova Robotics’ stock scanning robots to 650 new store locations. These trolleys drive through the shop completely independently while checking stock and prices on the shelves.
 

According to Retail Gazette, the partnership has ended because Walmart has found other and simpler solutions to bring these tasks to a successful conclusion. For example, due to the corona crisis, many more staff are walking around the stores collecting all online orders. They keep a close eye on the stocks on the shelves.
 

Nevertheless, the world’s largest retailer said it would continue to test new technologies and invest in its own processes and apps to keep stock and get products onto the shelves as quickly as possible.