Walmart is Launching its First Grocery Delivery Robot Alphabot

Walmart, the world’s largest chain of retail products is taking a step ahead in adopting artificial intelligence with the launch of its first grocery delivery robot named Alphabot. This is not the first time that Walmart has introduced something high-tech for the convenience of its customers.

The world’s largest retail store partnered with North Billerica Mass-based automation specialist, Alert Innovation, to pilot the Alphabot robot. This robot will assist the staff to fill groceries which have been ordered online. Alphabot is being tested at a Walmart’s supercentre in Salem, N.H.

How will robots help in grocery?

To adjust the robot’s pick points with a warehouse to store online grocery orders, a 20,000 square feet extension is being done at the Salem outlet. To pick their orders, a drive-through lane is also being developed.

It is a comprehensive system that consists of automated carts to gather items from the storage containers and take these products to the store clerks. These clerks have to assemble the products and pack them for drive through pick up or delivery. According to Walmart, most of the products will be transported in this manner, now with the assistance of Alphabot, excluding fresh food products that will still be selected by regular staff to maintain the quality standards. The system is going to accelerate the grocery delivery process as approximately 95% of the grocery is going to be delivered to the staff by Alphabot. The process will take up to eight minutes. The procedure is going to more efficient and rapid. 

What is the purpose behind Alphabot?

Walmart’s spokesperson stated that the main purpose behind the inception of Alphabot is to make the process more proficient, with providing the regular staff at Walmart, all the opportunities to focus more on customer services and the selling part of their jobs in this huge retail industry

The retail giant’s online delivery system is already considered one of the best in the world and is quite popular among the customers. Once the customer has placed the order online and pick up hour, the customer will reach to pick up the groceries on the designated time. Alphabot will be assisting at the back end and automate the process making it quicker and perfect.

As mentioned earlier, this is not Walmart’s first service to facilitate its customers with the help of latest technology. Another automatic service provided by Walmart that has begun last month in partnership with Waymo, is the self-driven car service. With this project, the company is expediting its customers with a pick and drop service by automated cars. The customers are picked up by self-driven cars from their homes, brought to the store to collect their groceries, then dropped back to their homes. This service has been introduced initially in Chandler Ariz.

Conclusion

Alphabot is just the foundation of robotics in the retail industry. It is also anticipated that the day would come when every delivery and pick up systems will rely on AI and will be done by robots.