Acton’s newest grocery store has a new employee. Meet Marty, the unassuming, rather shy robot who has free reign over the entire store. He (I am referring to Marty as “he” but the gender of the robot is not apparent) is dark gray, over six feet tall, rather thin, but with a wide base with concealed rollers that allows him to move smoothly over the hard flooring of the Stop and Shop. Marty has a few bright blue lights scattered around his body, with an appealing smile and two large cartoon eyes that watch you as he moves.
Marty has several dark circular sensors, mostly on one side of his body, that are constantly on the lookout for partially empty or untidy product shelves. If he finds something abnormal, he will scan the nearest product barcode and send a message to the office imploring them to correct the situation at their earliest convenience.
At the front of the base there is a constantly rotating six-inch black cylinder containing sensors and cameras. This part of the robot has two functions. One is to explore the floor for any spills, liquid or solid. Finding one, he sends a signal to the office and from there a human employee is dispatched to remedy the problem. The other function is to make sure he does not run into anything, be it a display or the deli counter or, most importantly, a customer. He can switch directions effortlessly for half a day before he needs rejuvenation with an hour-long nap at the charging station in the front of the store.
Every Stop and Shop is equipped with a similar robot, each with a different name.
Jeff Brown is the business beat reporter for the Acton Exchange.