R2 Robotics Robot merchandiser

Main articles:

• What is Internet of Things (Internet of Things, IoT)
• Robots (robotics)
• Service robots
• Computer vision (machine vision)

2021: Representation of the robot merchandiser

On January 19, 2021 it became known that the Russian company R2 Robotics conducts development of the robot merchandiser capable to carry out inventory when reading RFID tags on goods. R2 – the universal assistant for inventory of goods in shops of retail.

Accuracy of results of autonomous inventory is not less than 98% that not below, than at manual reading. People work with the same accuracy in warehouses and in trading floors. But employees spend for inventory of similar volume of goods not less than 6 hours. So, the companies of retail pay overtime, waste time and profit. But having delegated a part of powers on logistics to the robot, it is possible to pay more attention to customer service in a trading floor and to optimize work of sellers.

R2Robotics created and tested the first prototype of the robot in shop of the international retailer of sportswear in Novosibirsk. Tests showed that instead of the whole day it is possible to spend only one working hour of the robot for inventory and to release personnel for sales in shop. Data retrieveds of tests allowed to optimize an algorithm of a location of RFID of tags in space. The company issued software on the positioning system of passive RFID of tags in space with an accuracy of 0.5 m3 as result of intellectual activity. High accuracy of determination of coordinates of goods (location) on passive RFID to tags is distinctive quality of R2 before analogs.

R2 issues hints on a location of goods items on shelves of shop (for example, warns if the goods are not in the place or ended on a counter) that is not noticed often by the manager of shop or the selling assistant. Carrying out scanning of tags on goods in shop, the robot creates the complete plano-gram which will allow to trace further statistics of sales and to warn about need of additional deliveries.

For data collection of R2 uses a combination of autonomous navigation, machine vision and detection of RFID tags. Ultrasonic and laser sensors of measurement of distance allow R2 to be guided in space to define obstacles (regiments, racks, fitting rooms and also mirrors and glass show-windows). In the same time, machine vision allows to construct the scheme of the premises in which the robot will move. Further the robot collects information on an environment and the objects which are nearby and plans the route along which collects information on arrangement of goods in shops. Then information in the processed type is transferred to the client's computer by means of what it is already possible to adjust the calculation of goods and to fill up stocks.

The R2 robot was specially developed taking into account features of the market of retail, and presence of people at a trading floor, glass and mirror objects, show-windows and racks at any time can adapt to changes of the environment, for example. The robot independently creates the map of the premises on which the manager notes an inspection route. The model defines location of chipirovanny goods with an accuracy of unit of a retail store equipment. Unlike the person, R2 takes pictures in identical points with the fixed foreshortenings that allows to carry out fast computerized analysis of the calculation. R2 precisely defines location of each tag thanks to what the qualitative real plano-gram of a trading floor can be created. The robot was created by it that it was easy for client to use data retrieveds for more effective trade, merchandising and inventory.

Robotics