Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart has proven itself to be a devoted innovator in addition to its status as arguably the most established legacy retailer. In late 2019, the superstore began testing driverless delivery vehicles from Mountain View, Calif.-based Nuro, a robotics company that develops and operates a fleet of self-driving land-based drones meant to deliver all sorts of local goods. The test is limited to the Houston area for now, but the move speaks to Walmart’s drive to innovate.
The retailer’s work with robots does not end with Nuro. The company also plans to add shelf-scanning robots to 650 stores by this summer, according to Business Insider. Walmart is working with San Francisco-based Bossa Nova Robotics Inc., and the robots are already present in 350 stores.
While these are two recent examples, Walmart’s penchant for innovation started well before its work with Nuro and Bossa Nova. The company has also implemented roadside pickup, in-store lockers that can adjust size according to the package they contain, virtual reality training tools for employees and more.