Walmart Beefs Up Robotic Fleet

Walmart is supersizing its robotic fleet, with plans to roll out more autonomous floor cleaners, shelf scanners, FAST Unloaders and pickup towers to its stores. The rapid autonomization is part of an effort to free up store associates to better serve customers, said John Crecelius, SVP of central operations for Walmart U.S. He said employees immediately understood the opportunities that arose from being freed up from focusing on tasks that are "repeatable, predictable and manual." “It allows them time to focus more on selling merchandise and serving customers, which they tell us have always been the most exciting parts of working in retail,” he said.Photograph courtesy of Walmart