Two robots, called OSHbots, will make their debut at an
Orchard Supply Hardware store in San Jose, Calif., in the next few weeks. They
can respond to people, wheel around the store and identify and track down
items. Kyle Nel, the executive director of Lowe's Innovation Labs, built the
robots in partnership with Fellow Robots, a technology company. OSHbot is just
one project that's part of the lab's broader mission of bringing futuristic
ideas into Lowe's stores and its subsidiaries, like Orchard Supply
Hardware.
The robot has been in the works since early this year. It's
equipped with a 3D sensing camera, which enables it to analyze objects. This is
especially useful for customers at hardware stores because it can identify
anything that's held in front of it. Customers needing a certain size of screw
or bracket, for instance, could hold it in front of the robot and it could take
them to the correct aisle.
OSHbot can also have conversations like a person. It will be
able to speak in English when it hits the first store, with more five more
languages added in the coming months. Nel said that was important because it
makes the store more accessible for all customers, no matter where they're from.
For now, only two robots will be in the Silicon Valley
hardware store, and it may be a little while before OSHbots hit more Orchard or
Lowe's stores around the country. The OSHbot is still in its testing phase, and
the San Jose store is close enough to the Lowe's lab that technicians can keep
a close eye on how the robots adjust and how customers respond.
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