LG's Robot Shopping Cart Brings a Sci-Fi Twist to Grocery Trips
Finally, no more pushing.
LG wants to make your store trips just that little more exciting. At this year’s Las Vegas-based Consumer Electronics Show, the company took the wraps off not one, but three new work bots aimed at making everyday life that little bit cooler while giving people a helping hand.
With the Shopping Cart Robot, users can scan items with a built-in barcode reader, view a complete shopping list and provide directions to other products. The bot is joined by the Serving Robot, which delivers drinks and meals to hotel guests, and the Porter Robot that takes your bags to your room.
It may seem like something out of a Black Mirror episode, but these bots are far from outliers. There is an ongoing push into store robotics that includes impressive technologies like the self-service checkout and Cash360 money collection service. The Shopping Cart Robot’s cute blue eyes also resemble that of Pepper the Robot, a SoftBank Robotics creation that aims to assist consumers as they browse stores:
Pepper the Robot.
LG’s three bots form part of LG’s CLOi brand, joining the Airport Guide Robot and Airport Cleaning Robot that were demonstrated at last year’s conference. The guide bot assists customers by scanning their boarding pass and giving them directions to their flight. Both machines recently completed trial runs in South Korea’s Incheon International Airport. LG’s Lawn Mowing Robot and smart home management Hub Robot also form part of the same brand.
“As an important part of our future growth engine, LG is committed to expanding its portfolio of robots that can deliver real convenience and innovation in our customers’ lives,” says Ryu Hye-jung, head of the smart solution business division of LG’s Home Appliance & Air Solutions Company. “We will continue to develop a wide range of products across commercial and home robots while seeking new opportunities to contribute to the advancement of the robotics industry.”
Unfortunately, it may be a while before you finally get to ditch the plastic carts of yesteryear. LG refers to the three as “concept robots,” and with a trial run missing from the announcement, you probably won’t see them at your local Wal-Mart any time soon.
