ZAANDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - Retailers everywhere are working around the clock to ensure that they’re using only the best technology at market. Naturally, such a herculean task requires a mighty will to succeed, and luckily, Ahold Delhaize has that in droves. The retail giant recently announced the winners of its first-ever Cleaning Bot challenge, a competition that helped scout new talent and smart tech solutions for its operations. The winners selected were Fybots and Adlatus Robotics.
"Smart technology, such as Artificial Intelligence and robotics, offers countless possibilities for the retail industry, the consumer, and society at large," remarked Frans Muller, President and CEO. "With this challenge, we wanted to further develop our ongoing initiatives and explore how our great local brands and support offices can use this technology to better support associates as they serve customers. I was impressed by the quality of the pitches and the innovation behind the solutions."
The challenge, a press release explained, underscores the ambition of Ahold Delhaize to help create the future of retail, supported by technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
"A clean environment for associates and customers is now more important than ever," continued Muller. "Cleaning tasks are often physically demanding and include many repetitive tasks. Increased cleaning cycles, due to COVID-19, have put teams under a lot of pressure. Robotics can help these associates. By reducing their time spent on repetitive cleaning, associates can focus more on customers, where they can make an even greater difference."
Over 380 companies were scouted for the challenge, all of whom pitched their solutions in two tracks. The first track, won by Fybots, catered to cleaning solutions. The second track, won by Adtlatus Robotics, focused on promising future technologies that can be co-developed.
Adlatus will explore a partnership with Ahold Delhaize's AIRLab to co-develop new applications for its robotics technology.
How far will robots take retailers in the future of grocery tech? AndNowUKnow will continue to explore.
