Sick of getting the one trolley that doesn’t go in a straight line? Granny getting a bit old to be lifting the basket on her own when buying her weekly groceries? Or are you just a lazy student or someone who’s stocking up on the booze for New Years Eve?
Enter- Robovie-ii! Well actually, exit you. To Kyoto, Japan. Yes Ruth has been sent another robot link. This one is actually in active trial now at Apita-Seikadai Supermarket as you can see from the video here. Helping the lady to gather her grapefruits. (Well oranges actually, but I like alliteration). They’re giving it a go until March 2010, so book your flight now if you want to see it.
Working a bit like online shopping, users enter their products into a mobile device prior to arriving at the store. Once you get to ASDA (well it’s close to Apita-Seikadai) Robovie-ii senses your device and then leads you around the store to collect everything. It can even remind you about items you’ve forgotten, and make suggestions. It’s a like two year old without the inevitable sweetie aisle tantrum.
Source: Technabob