In response to the demand for lower prices and the need for increased efficiency to meet this demand, a Silicon Valley start-up called Simbe Robotics created Tally, a grocery store robot designed to track shelves and inventory more effectively than humans, according to The Washington Post. According to the company, the robot can scan a Walgreens or small grocery store in just 30 to 40 minutes and capture information on 15,000 to 20,000 products an hour, making it much more efficient than a human employee.
Brad Bogolea, CEO and co-founder the company, claims that the goal of the start-up was to create a robot that can perform dull and mundane tasks better than humans, according to CNN.
Tally works by taking photos of grocery store shelves and then uploading them to a cloud where they are compared to ideal store representations to ensure proper product placement and pricing. The robot uses algorithms to determine which items are out of stock as well as identifying misplaced items and products facing the wrong direction.
Tally is just one of the recent examples of robotics entering the food and grocery industry. Skype co-founders Janus Friis and Ahti Heinla recently designed a six-wheeled self-driving robot that can deliver groceries to the doorsteps of customers, according to Dezeen.
