Walmart Expands Robot Usage

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Walmart is “hiring” more robots in an effort to reallocate human labor, as the discount retailer expands its ecommerce and pays workers more, the Wall Street Journal reports. This year, at least 300 stores will have robots that scan shelves for inventory, while cleaning robots will be employed at 1,500 locations to scrub floors. In addition, 900 stores will receive 16-foot-high towers that facilitate online order pickup from consumers without the assistance of an associate.

Walmart officials say the saved manpower will be used to redirect workers to other tasks, including adding more workers to its growing e-commerce channel. “With automation we are able to take away some of the tasks that associates don’t enjoy doing,” said Mark Propes, senior director of central operations for Walmart US. “At the same time, we continue to open up new jobs in other things in the store.”

Brain Corp., which manufacturers the software behind Walmart’s floor cleaning robots, said the design allows maintenance workers to focus on other tasks while the robot wipes the floor. “It’s very hard for employers to get the workforce they need,” said Phil Duffy, vice president of innovation at Brain Corp. “None of the customers we’re working with are using our machines to reduce their labor costs; they’re using them to allow their teams, their janitorial teams, to perform higher-value tasks.”

Other companies are dabbling in robots that cook and deliver food. For example, at a Good Times Burgers and Frozen Custard location in Denver, your drive-thru order will be taken by a voice-based artificial intelligence customer service platform.