Walmart is planning on increasing automation this year, as Yahoo Finance reports the company will add thousands of robots to perform low-level work in its U.S. stores.
The company plans to add 1,500 autonomous floor cleaners, the "Auto-C," and 300 shelf scanners called the "Auto-S." Walmart will also add 1,200 FAST Unloaders, which scan and sort items that come in on trucks automatically, and 900 pickup towers, which are able to retrieve orders made by online customers. Some of these machines could soon be seen moving through stores, checking inventory and cleaning the floor.
John Crecelius, Walmart senior vice president of U.S. central operations, told Yahoo Finance these robots are intended to help human workers perform their duties, akin to smartphones.
"They are assistants to help you be more effective in taking care of what the customer needs to give you time to serve and sell,” he said.
Crecelius notes the robots can help employees save time washing the floor and performing "tedious" inventory work.
"Just getting, 'Here are the things that need to be addressed' and seeing progress when you're addressing those things, feeling progress as you're addressing those things, and your customers getting the things that they need as part of their basket just feels better," he said.
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