Wal-Mart Experimenting With Robotic Shopping Cart for Stores

  • Helping shoppers lug their goods is next robot frontier
  • Retailer said to tap technology to compete with Amazon, online
Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is working with a robotics company to develop a shopping cart that helps customers find items on their lists and saves them from pushing a heavy cart through a sprawling store and parking lot, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Such carts are an emerging opportunity for robotics companies as brick-and-mortar stores look for innovative ways to match the convenience of Amazon.com Inc. and other online retailers, said Wendy Roberts, founder and chief executive officer of Five Elements Robotics.