COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Shoppers at central Ohio Kroger locations may have recently noticed a new kind of employee: robots that use sensors and artificial intelligence to scan shelves for inventory.
The Cincinnati-based grocery chain has begun rolling out Tally robots in the Columbus market and plans to have them in about 60 local Kroger stores by late fall, according to Mark Bruce, head of communications and public affairs for Kroger’s central Ohio division.
The 79-inch-tall, pillar-like robots with a circular rolling base use cameras and sensors to spot products that are out of stock, detect pricing errors and locate misplaced goods, alerting store staff to any issues. See NBC4’s latest headlines in the video player above.
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“This technology means our associates can more easily and quickly identify and address shelves where products are low or out of stock,” Bruce said in a statement. “It also provides our teams more time to do what they do best – serve our customers.”
Kroger did not specify when it began using the robots in central Ohio, but told NBC4 in late July that it was “really early” in the rollout…