Robotics Startups Are Coming to the Retail Aisle

Fetch is a rolling robot that can use its one arm to pluck items from a shelf and prep them for shipping

Fortune

Nov. 13, 2015—If an emerging wave of robotics companies have their way, it will soon be a common experience to walk down the aisle of a store alongside an autonomous robot.

There’s OSHbot, a human-sized robot already leading customers through select Lowe’s stores to the items they seek. There’s also Fetch, a rolling robot that can use its one arm to pluck items from a shelf and prep them for shipping.

Simbe, a San Francisco startup that emerged from secrecy on Wednesday, is the latest to join the pack. Its new robot Tally can roll through a store, and log what items are out of stock or incorrectly placed before generating a report of what actions the store should take.

“These entities have great supply chain intelligence and point-of-sale intelligence, but there’s this clear gap in the physical store, which is where you and I often make our purchasing decision,” said Brad Bogolea, Simbe’s CEO and co-founder.

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