Artificial intelligence software technology company Brain Corp has announced that its manufacturing partners are involved in several pilots and initial deployments of autonomous delivery tugs powered by BrainOS, which is Brain Corp’s cloud-connected operating system for commercial autonomous robots. 

According to Brain Corp, these commercial rollouts mark the industry debut of a “new robotic application that helps retailers bridge the automation gap in moving inventory from the stockroom out to store shelves.”

The rollouts and pilots are being carried out at major retail locations across the nation by power assist technologies designer and manufacturer Dane Technologies and high-performance material handling equipment company UniCarriers Americas Corporation (UCA). Brain Corp signed agreements with both companies to enable manufacturing of the tugs.

Robotic delivery tugs that move materials and goods back and forth have traditionally been relegated to warehouse settings, but these tugs are capable of safely navigating in public environments thanks to being equipped with Brain Corp's AI technology. According to robotics analyst firm ABI Research, this is the first tug application of its kind capable of operating within high-traffic commercial locations, such as retail and grocery aisles.

“The supply chain ends at the customer, not the back warehouse,” says John Black, the senior vice president of new product development.

“These new autonomous delivery robots help automate the movement of goods for that 'last 500 feet'—the distance between the stockroom and store shelves. This has huge ramifications for increasing employee productivity, improving customer satisfaction, and reducing potential exposure to workers' comp claims.”

Capable of operating safely within various public indoor spaces such as grocery, retail, airports, and warehouses, the BrainOS-powered delivery tugs do not require any custom infrastructure or specialized training, as they deliver “accessible automation” on the spot. Users can leverage a patented “teach and repeat” technology that simplifies deployment and can be adapted on the fly to changes in store layout. Users can also leverage cloud-based performance metrics in near real-time to get reports on delivery usage, routes, drop-offs, and more.

Depending on the size of the store, number of employees, and other key factors, retailers could save on average up to $100,000 per year per location using the autonomous delivery tug, according to initial Brain Corp estimates. This includes between six to 12 hours per day in transport labor savings, as well as reduced risk and staff turnover costs.

“This is a true game changer for retailers and other businesses that want to easily automate an arduous and repetitive task,” says Dan Johnson, founder and CEO of Dane Technologies, which pioneered the QuicKART, the world's most widely adopted shopping cart return system.

“The value is off the charts for this application, which can also be used to transport trash and recyclables, as well support online order fulfillment.”